


As Days Go By

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: AU, BAMF Chloe Sullivan, BAMF Lois Lane, BAMF Oliver Queen, Bestest Cousins, Biting, Blood, F/M, Gore, Ick, Violence, Walking dead references, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:53:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: The Smallville Zombie Apocalypse fic that nobody asked for. AU late season seven.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan & Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Lana Lang, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan, past James "Jimmy" Olsen/Chloe Sullivan
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

“I can’t get through,” Chloe whispered, ending the call she’d been trying to make on her phone. “Landline isn’t working either, we need to go out there.” 

“I don’t think it’s safe,” Jimmy told her with wide eyes. 

“I need to find Lo--” she stilled when she heard whispers and quickly ducked behind her desk, pulling Jimmy with her. “Someone is coming.”

“She _has_ to be here,” a familiar voice said insistently. “It’s where she goes when we hit dethcon 5!” 

Chloe stood up instantly, her eyes wide. “Lois?” she called, already making her way around the table when she saw who her cousin was with. “Clark, thank God.”

Clark hugged her quickly, his eyes filled with worry. “Are you okay?” 

“Move,” Lois grumbled, hugging her cousin as soon as he got out of her way.

“I’m fine,” Chloe told him even as she hugged Lois back. “How are things outside?” 

“Not good,” Clark told her anxiously. He met her eyes, tilting his head ever-so-slightly toward the other side of the room.

“I told you we should stay here,” Jimmy said, finally coming out from behind the desk. 

Chloe’s eyes widened as she stared at Clark then nodded. “Right.” She turned to her cousin and held out the gun she had found under her editor’s desk. “You’re a better shot, stay here with Jimmy and Clark and I will go see if we can find food in people’s desks, we might be here for a while.” It was the best excuse she could come up with.

“Be careful,” Clark stressed, heading away in the direction of the stairs. 

Chloe didn’t hesitate before following him, glancing over her shoulder as she pulled him toward the first floor faster. “What’s going on?” she asked in a whisper.

“My powers,” he whispered back. “They’re gone, Chloe. I don’t know what happened, but I woke up this morning without them.” 

“What do you mean gone?” Her eyes widened and she took a step forward. 

He swallowed hard. “All of them.” He shook his head. 

“It must have something to do with what is going on, Clark. We need to figure out what is causing this,” she said urgently.

“I really agree. But how do we--” He started to ask when the lights flickered. “Oh no.” 

“No,” she gasped, looking up as the lights went back on. She didn’t move and held her breath for a moment. When the lights stayed on, she turned back to Clark. “We need to get to Smallville, to the caves so you can talk to Jor--” Just as she was about to finish her sentence, the power went off.

“This is bad,” he whispered, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. 

“We need to get Lois and Jimmy and get out of Metropolis.” Even though her voice was firm, she didn’t feel so brave now that the power was out.

“You’re right. There’ll be less of those things around,” he murmured. “Come on.” He started down the stairs slowly, holding onto the banister to keep from tripping.

“Have you seen them?” she asked quietly as she walked close to him, a hand wrapped around the back of his jacket.

“Yeah.” His voice grew more quiet. “It’s not good.” 

“Are they really... Zombies?” It sounded ridiculous to say it out loud but from the reports and the images she’d seen, it was the only way to describe them.

He hesitated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “They look like zombies, but...zombies aren’t real, right?” 

“I didn’t believe aliens were real either, Clark,” she whispered very quietly.

Clark winced. “True.” 

“If the movies Pete made us watch are accurate, we should be okay as long as they don’t bite us,” she said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. 

“That might not be easy. There’s a lot of them. Lois and I barely made it inside the Planet.” 

“Would be easier if we could move a lot faster.” She sighed. “Lois? Jimmy?” 

“I know. Believe me.” He exhaled. 

“Right here,” Lois said a few feet away. “Gotta say, the dark is going to make it really hard to shoot zombies.” 

Chloe winced, she didn’t even want to think about having to shoot someone. “We need to get out of here, you can hotwire a car, can’t you, Lo?” 

“Hell yes,” she answered, smirking even though no one could see her. 

“I can help, maybe,” Jimmy said. “But where are we going?” 

“To the farm, the less people around, the safer we will be,” Chloe answered. “Let’s go.”

“We’re going to need a flashlight,” Clark pointed out worriedly. 

“I’ve got my cell phone. It’s almost totally charged, thankfully,” Lois informed him, holding it out to him. 

Chloe reached and took it instead. She pushed a couple of buttons and set the flash from the camera to be always on, it was much stronger than the light from the screen. “Okay, let’s go,” she said, leading the way back up the stairs. “There must be a car left in the parking lot.”

“There were a few,” Lois told her, following her closely. “One in particular caught my eye.” 

* * *

Much to Lois’s dismay, when they managed to make it to Smallville--no easy feat considering how congested the roads were--Clark had immediately climbed into his truck, saying he was going to check on Lex and Lana. She’d snarked at him, telling him to make sure Lex knew she’d borrowed his car to get them back to the small farm town, to which he’d sighed and shaken his head. 

At least they were relatively safe at the farm. She was, however, worried about Mrs. Kent, who was on a business trip in DC. One that she herself had planned to attend, but at the last minute, she’d gotten an assignment from the Inquisitor, and Mrs. Kent had assured her it wasn’t a big deal. After all, it was a three day trip, most of which she was going to be in meetings during, and Lois agreed she’d just skip this one. 

She made her way into the Kents’ kitchen and opened the fridge, glad that everything inside was still cold--at least for the time being. The power hadn’t been out for very long. She sighed, pulling out Mrs. Kent’s apple pie and setting it on the table. She had to entertain herself somehow while Clark was off pining and Chloe and Jimmy were sitting outside on the porch waiting for him to come back. Besides, she was starving. She didn’t bother getting out a plate, just grabbed a fork and dug in, moaning softly as the flavor exploded on her taste buds. Zombie apocalypse be damned. Who needed a guy when a girl had pie?

“Did you manage to talk to your family?” Chloe asked Jimmy after they sat in silence for a long moment.

“No, the phone died when I was trying to call,” he told her, sighing. “What about you?” 

“All I got was voicemail,” she admitted, looking out at the quiet fields. “It doesn’t even seem like anything is happening from here, does it?” 

“No, it’s too quiet.” He looked out over the fields, too, scratching his arm absently.

“I hope the others found a place like this,” she said quietly.

“You mean Lana?” he asked uncertainly.

“I mean my dad, your family.” With a deep breath, she turned to look over at him. “If Lana is with Lex, I’m sure she’s safe.”

“Right.” He nodded, meeting her eyes. “What do you think caused all of this?” 

“No idea, some kind of virus, maybe?” She paused, watching him closely. “Are you feeling okay? You’re pale.”

“Yeah. Just a little freaked out,” Jimmy admitted with a faint smile. “Wishing I’d paid more attention to Dawn of the Dead when I had the chance.” 

“No kidding.” She smirked back at him. “If Pete was here he’d be able to help, he’s always loved zombie movies.”

“He’s in Topeka, right? I’d say let’s go pick him up but I’m not sure we’d make it all the way there.” 

“Large population area, too. Might be better to at least wait for a while before going anywhere. At least here we have food and we’re pretty safe,” Chloe said. “Getting out of the Planet was pretty intense.”

“How many do you think Lois ran over on the way out of Metropolis?” 

“I don’t wanna think about it,” she admitted quietly. “I mean, they are still people, kind of?”

“Are they?” Jimmy sounded uncertain. “I mean...people were shooting at them and they weren’t stopping.” 

“I know, I guess they aren’t really anymore, but they look like people?”

He nodded, looking worried. “How far do you think this has reached?” Beads of sweat had popped up on his forehead.

“No clue.” She sighed, pulling a foot over the seat and resting her chin over her knee as she looked back at the road for a sign of Clark. “Maybe it’s just here, maybe they are sending help,” she said quietly, but didn’t really believe her words.

“Hopefully,” he murmured, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s hot out here.” 

Chloe frowned at that and turned to look at him. “It’s kinda chilly,” she said, her eyes widening when she realized he was sweating. She stood up instantly but reached for his forehead. “You’re burning up.”

“Think I’m coming down with the flu,” he told her. “I feel kinda nauseous.” 

She stared at him worriedly for a moment then nodded. “Let’s go back inside, you can lay down and I’ll find you something to take.”

“Yeah. Okay.” He rose to his feet slowly, then headed into the house. 

Chloe opened the door and stepped aside, following him into the house. “Go upstairs, you can lay down in the first room to the right, I’ll be right there.”

“All right.” He rubbed a hand over his face, looking paler than before as he headed up the steps.

Chloe watched him go then took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen, glad to see her cousin seemed to be perfectly healthy. “Lois?”

“Want some pie?” she offered. “Grab a fork.” 

“No. There’s something wrong with Jimmy,” she added in a quiet voice as she looked up at Lois.

Lois smirked, but then looked up at her, the expression dissolving from her features. “What kind of something?” 

“It’s serious, Lois.. He has a fever and he’s not feeling well,” she told her. “He was fine a few minutes ago...”

“Maybe he’s just coming down with the flu.” But she didn’t believe that. Not really.

“Maybe.” But Chloe didn’t really believe that either. “I’ll try to find something for him to take but... keep an ear out, okay?” 

Lois gave her a look and rose to her feet. “No way you’re going by yourself. I’m coming with you.” 

“I was just gonna go upstairs to check on the medicine cabinet,” Chloe promised.

“And I’ll be right behind you just in case.” 

“Alright,” Chloe agreed then started up the stairs, hoping this really as just some kind of flu.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometime after midnight, Lois woke up feeling thirsty. She looked over to the other side of the bed, where Chloe lay sleeping. Sliding her legs over the edge of the mattress, she rose to her feet and made her way out of Mrs. Kent’s bedroom. She paused outside Clark’s room, listening but not hearing anything unusual from where Jimmy had passed out hours before. Rubbing a hand over her face sleepily, she descended the stairs and made her way into the kitchen, not bothering to flip on a light. Wasn’t like she needed it to know where she was going. Plus the power was probably still out anyway. She’d lived there long enough now that she knew the whole place by heart. 

She pulled a glass down from the cabinet and filled it with water, taking a drink and sighing as she leaned against the sink. 

A soft scuffling sound across the room made her pause and she looked toward it, catching sight of a shadow. “Clark?” she asked hopefully.

The noise stopped then became closer, followed by a grunt.

Lois set down her glass, reaching behind her toward the knives. “Who’s there?” 

There was another groan, this time louder just as Shelby started barking outside the door and scratching it.

Her hand curled around one of the knife handles and she pulled it out quickly, just as the figure rushed at her. She screamed.

Chloe had been nodding off once again but when she heard Lois’ scream, she was on her feet and out of Clark’s bedroom where she and Lois had been sharing a bed. “Lois?” she yelled, making her way downstairs as quickly as possible until she tripped in the darkness, falling with a thud and sliding down a couple of the steps.

Lois barely heard her cousin as she stabbed Jimmy in the upper arm when he tried to scratch her. “Get back!” 

“Lois!” Chloe called again, getting on her feet again and making her way into the kitchen. There was just enough light in the room for her to see a person advancing toward her cousin. Without a second thought, she reached for the gun that was over the counter and fired it once toward the ceiling. 

“It’s Jimmy!” Lois shouted. “He’s one of them!” She dodged around him, moving toward the back door and hoping it was unlocked. It wasn’t. She fumbled over the locks, her heart beating fast as horse hooves.

Chloe stilled for a full moment, her stomach turning as she recognized the clothes on the man as her boyfriend’s. The second he started after Lois again, she lifted the gun and aimed. “Get down!” she called for her cousin, her hands shaking as she aimed toward Jimmy. And fired.

He made a terrible sound--between a growl and a grunt--then turned toward her, running directly at her. 

“Chloe!” Lois screamed. 

For a full second, Chloe was paralyzed. Jimmy looked mostly like himself, except he seemed paler, his jaw was hanging down like it was unhinged and she could see the blood soaking his shirt. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion but before she realized what was happening he was standing inches from her. 

Without hesitating this time, she fired again. One, two, three times. It wasn’t until the third and until he was about to reach for her that she had the nerve to aim for his head. Warm blood splashed all over her face and arms and a moment later, she watched him fall to the ground.

For a full moment, she and Lois stood in absolute silence. Then Lois raised a hand to cover her mouth. “Oh god,” she whispered.

Chloe lowered the gun, but didn’t move otherwise. Her whole body was shaking and her vision was clouded by tears but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of Jimmy.

Lois slowly moved toward her cousin, her eyes wide. She quickly reached out and took the gun from Chloe’s hand, setting it on the kitchen table. 

Despite Lois’ interference, it still took Chloe a moment longer before she moved. She glanced over at her cousin then rushed past her and into the bathroom when she felt her stomach turn.

Lois gave her a few minutes before following her into the bathroom and grabbing a towel, wetting it down with cool water. She knelt down beside Chloe and began to wipe the blood off her face and arms silently, her hands shaking as she did so.

When she finally opened her eyes again, Chloe turned her head to look at Lois. “Are you--” she started, but her voice broke. “Did he...?”

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t bite me.” 

Chloe breathed in relief and closed her eyes again as she nodded.

Lois rested a hand on her cousin’s back. “Are _you_ okay?” 

“He didn’t bite me,” she whispered. At least that much she was sure of.

“Thank God,” she whispered, resting her forehead against Chloe’s shoulder. She rubbed her back gently. “We need to get you cleaned up. And into clean clothes.” 

“And Jimmy...” she said quietly, looking over at Lois.

Lois grimaced. “What should we do? Should we wait for Clark to come back?” 

“I don’t know.” Chloe didn’t know what else to say, she felt like her brain could barely process what had happened right now, let alone make decisions.

She forced herself to take a deep breath. “Right. Okay. Well, let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll figure out the rest.” 

“Okay,” Chloe agreed, finally making an effort to stand up.

Lois wound an arm around her waist to help her. “Why don’t you hop in the shower? I’ll find you something to wear.” 

“Thanks,” she told Lois quietly, shaking her head to clear her mind. “I’ve got it.”

“Lock the door,” she whispered as she headed out of the room.

“No, Lois,” she called, turning to look at her. “Stay.”

“I need to find you clothes,” Lois pointed out. 

“I know, but stay here for now,” she said again, not wanting Lois out of her sight. And not wanting to be alone either.

She paused at the request, then nodded. “All right.” She shut the bathroom door and locked it. 

* * * 

Just as they managed to get Jimmy’s body outside, Chloe heard Clark’s truck pulling up to the farm. It was light outside already and she wished it wasn’t so he wouldn’t _see_ what they were doing. Since her shower, she felt mostly numb but suddenly an overwhelming guilt came over her because if Clark got back with a cure, she could never forgive herself for ending Jimmy’s life like that. Not that she could forgive herself either way. 

Clark’s truck stopped in the driveway and he climbed out, while Lana remained seated in the passenger side. His eyes were wide as he stared at the body on the ground. “What happened?” 

Chloe winced and looked up at him. “He... turned,” she whispered. “He went after Lois.”

He swallowed hard, staring down at Jimmy’s lifeless form. Then he looked at Lois. “Are you all right?” 

She managed a faint smile. “I’m okay.” She looked at Chloe worriedly.

Chloe lowered her head and took a deep breath but didn’t say anything. Wordlessly Clark wrapped his arms around her.

She returned the hug and sighed deeply, closing her eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry about Jimmy,” he whispered back, hugging her closer. 

Chloe swallowed hard and nodded as she pulled away from him. “Lana is okay?” she asked quietly.

“She’s okay. Kind of in shock.” He grimaced, glancing toward the truck. 

“We should go inside, we locked Shelby inside in case one of those things showed up here,” she said, feeling like it was important for him to know and besides, she didn’t want to focus on Jimmy.

Clark nodded, squeezing her shoulder and heading toward his truck. “I’ll get Lana.” 

“Okay,” she agreed, taking a deep breath and looking at Lois.

Lois reached out and took her hand, leading her to the backdoor of the house once more. “We’ll all brainstorm and come up with some kind of a plan. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the military shows up and everything goes back to normal.” 

* * * 

Two weeks later, however, there was still no sign of the military or anyone else for that matter. Smallville seemed to be completely abandoned since this whole thing started. They had no power and although Clark had been keeping the farm running as well as he could without his abilities, they couldn’t live like this forever. 

“Are you ready to go?” Chloe asked Lois as she walked into the kitchen where her cousin was with Clark and Lana. 

“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Clark said worriedly.

“I agree,” Lana said, looking at Chloe. “We should just stay here, all together. It’s safer.” 

“We can’t live on eggs forever,” Lois pointed out. “And who knows, maybe we’ll find help in town.” 

“If nothing else, we can find batteries, warmer clothes and we need to go back to the Talon to get our own clothes too,” Chloe pointed out. “And Lois might still have a radio there, we might be able to contact the general.” 

Lois was just hoping that no one had broken into their apartment with hopes to get supplies. “We won’t be gone long.” She held her hand out for the truck keys.

Clark considered her for a moment then sighed and held the keys out to her. 

“We’ll find gas, too,” Chloe said then reached for the gun that they decided to keep in the kitchen. Since out of all of them she had been the only one to kill someone who was infected before, she figured she should be the one to do it again if they needed her to. Still, Lois was also bringing one of Mr. Kent’s guns this time. 

“Wish us luck.” Lois picked up the shotgun and headed for the backdoor.

“We’ll be back soon,” Chloe told Clark and Lana then followed Lois outside and into the truck. As soon as they were both inside the car, she unlocked the safety on the gun and took a deep breath. “Just drive slowly when we get close to the town, if we see too many of them, we can turn around and go back without them noticing us.”

“Or they’ll follow the truck.” Lois started the truck and shifted it into gear, pulling out of the driveway. 

“Maybe, but they will still be on foot,” she pointed out and sat up straight, hoping she _wouldn’t_ have to shoot anyone else.

She nodded, glancing at Chloe sideways. “Thankfully.” 

As Lois drove, Chloe watched the road carefully, holding the gun out the window just in case one of them showed up out of nowhere. “How many people do you think are still out there? Normal people, I mean.”

“I don’t know, Chloe.” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, keeping her eyes in front of her. “It happens fast in all the movies. The infection taking over, I mean.” 

“And apparently you don’t even need to be bitten,” she sighed under her breath. They had forced themselves to look Jimmy over to find out how he had been infected and all they had managed to find was a long scratch on his underarm. 

Lois grimaced, then reached out with her right hand and squeezed Chloe’s arm lightly.

Chloe shook her head and glanced over at her cousin. “Do you think staying at the farm is the best we can do?”

“It’s probably safer than trying to head into a bigger city. But...” 

“But we don’t have as many resources once the farm is done and we are on our own,” Chloe added.

“Right,” she agreed quietly, sighing. “It’s a gamble either way.” 

With a deep sigh, Chloe nodded and focused on the road once more. There wasn’t much of a point in planning ahead when they didn’t even know how long they were going to survive.


	3. Chapter 3

“We need to stop by the grocery store and the drugstore too, we need to hurry up,” Chloe told Lois as she dragged another suitcase downstairs and over toward the Talon’s front doors. “We need to grab all the coffee they have in here too,” she added as the thought crossed her mind.

“Where do you think everyone else went? Do you think they’re holed up in their houses, or do you think they’re...” Her voice trailed off as she moved behind the counter, grabbing several jars of coffee grounds and stacking them on top of one another. 

“I don’t know...” Chloe said, leaving the suitcase by the door and going to help her cousin. “But considering everything that has happened in Smallville before, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took off as quickly as possible, thinking it was only happening here.”

“And considering how quick the electricity went out, it made it kind of hard to watch the news to find out it wasn’t just here.” She sighed and carried an armful of coffee cans toward the door. “Plus if they had stuck around, I doubt this place would still be full of food and coffee.” 

“Exactly,” Chloe agreed, grabbing some of the cans too then following her cousin outside, pausing only to grab the suitcase again. 

“I think that--” Lois froze when she was a couple of steps away from the truck, staring at the front of the vehicle where a group of obviously dead people were standing. “Oh shit.” 

Chloe bumped right into her, letting one of the cans slip from her hand and fall to the floor with a loud clang. The same second she looked up to see the zombies, they all seemed to turn their attention toward them, some starting their way instantly, others sniffing the air but Chloe recognized at least half of the now dead people standing outside. 

“Go back inside,” Lois said urgently, heaving one of the cans at a zombie and dropping the rest. 

Chloe didn’t need to be told twice, she rushed back inside the Talon, reaching to close one of the double doors as quickly as she could.

Lois followed her, but tripped, sprawling out facedown on the ground. 

“Lois!” Chloe gasped as the others moved closer. Without thinking about it, she pulled Lois by her arms and dragged her further inside.

One of the zombies dropped to his knees, grabbing Lois’s shoe and leaning down, jaws snapping. Suddenly an arrow lodged itself into the zombie’s head, making it fall over sideways.

Chloe stared in shock for just a second, her eyes going to the arrow, then down at the zombie but she didn’t waste anymore time before dragging Lois further into the cafe as more of the zombies started tripping over the now dead one to try and get inside. “Are you okay?” she asked her cousin worriedly, but didn’t stop moving.

“I think so.” She winced, climbing to her feet. She turned, eyes widening when she spotted the arrow in the zombie’s head. “What--” Several more arrows flew, killing more of the walking dead just outside the door. 

Once she made sure Lois really was okay, Chloe grabbed the gun that was sitting by the bottom of the stairs. She looked down at it and took a deep breath before turning to face the zombies once more. She had a good guess who was behind the arrows but there were a lot of them out there and she guessed only one of _him_.

“Green Arrow,” Lois said, still staring. 

There was a sound from the roof, like someone had landed up there. 

“I’ll help him,” Chloe told her, heading for the door. “Go get the other gun upstairs,” she said, hoping there wouldn’t be zombies left once Lois was back.

“Chloe--” she protested.

“Hurry up,” she said sharply, not looking at Lois as she made her way toward the door once more, and with a deep breath, started shooting.

Several more arrows landed with her bullets, embedding themselves into zombies and dropping them quickly. A second later, Green Arrow stood in the middle of the road. “Don’t shoot.” 

Chloe barely managed to stop herself from shooting again, but when she realized it was only Oliver, she lowered her gun. “Was that it?” she asked, eyes still wide as she took a step forward to check.

“For now. We need to move.” He moved toward her with a faint smile. 

“Lois is upstairs,” Chloe said with a quick nod. She had a thousand questions for him but now wasn't the time.

“Not anymore,” Lois announced, descending the stairs with the shotgun. 

Oliver looked over at her, then back at Chloe. 

“Let’s go,” Chloe said, not waiting any longer and dragging the suitcase out to the truck. She threw it in the back unceremoniously then turned to Oliver. “Do you have your bike?”

He smirked. “Of course.” He motioned to the bike, which was standing a few feet away, and made his way over to it. 

“You know Green Arrow?” Lois asked in confusion. 

“We’ll talk later,” Chloe said, getting in the car. “Hurry, Lois! There are more!”

She moved to the driver’s side of the truck and slid into the front seat once more, starting the engine again. “Is he coming with us?” She pressed her foot to the gas. 

“Yeah,” Chloe told her, looking out the back window to make sure Oliver was following.

Sure enough, he wasn’t far behind on his green motorcycle, helmet on. 

With a deep breath, she relaxed against her seat slightly and turned back to keep an eye on the road, in case more of those things appeared.

* * * 

Ten minutes later, Oliver was parking his bike alongside the passenger side of the truck. He climbed off, pulling off his helmet. It wasn’t like he needed a secret identity anymore. The world had much bigger problems than vigilantes trying to stop criminals. He pulled off his glasses, looking at Chloe through the window and arching his eyebrows. 

Chloe stared at him in surprise for a second then nodded slightly as she opened the door to climb out of the car. His secret identity didn’t really matter anymore.

“Glad to see you’re safe,” he told her, offering her a smile.

“You too,” she said quietly. “How did you get here?”

“Who--” Lois stopped in her tracks, staring at him as she came around the truck. “ _Oliver?_ ” 

“Hey, Lois,” he greeted. 

Chloe turned to look at Lois then shook her head, the hint of a smile appearing on her lips as she reached behind the truck to pull out everything they had there.

“Let me help,” he said, moving to her side and grabbing one of the suitcases. He reached in and grabbed another as Clark and Lana came out onto the porch. 

Clark paused, surprised then approached them. “Oliver?”

“Hey, Clark,” he greeted, setting one of the suitcases down and holding his hand out for Clark to shake. 

With a smile, Clark shook his hand. “Good to see you.”

“Likewise,” Oliver said honestly. 

* * * 

They brought everything inside and once Chloe had checked on Lois to make sure she wasn’t bitten or scratched, she had let her go after Oliver to grill him about being Green Arrow. To say Chloe was glad to see him didn’t really begin to cover it. Not only had he saved both her and her cousin when he showed up, it gave her hope that there were people out there who were still healthy. 

While Clark and Lana cooked whatever it was that they were making, she sat in the living room with Shelby, who had his head on her lap and seemed to be sleeping. She was trying hard not to think about all the other people she had shot today, many of whom she knew, but her head seemed to keep going back to that, no matter how hard she tried to focus on everything she wanted to ask Oliver.

“So thanks for leaving me alone with Lois. That was pleasant.” Oliver’s voice was teasing as he dropped down beside her on the couch.

Chloe smiled, relaxing when she heard his voice, distraction was definitely good. “You’re welcome, that was my thanks for saving our lives out there.”

He smirked, glancing at her sideways. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” 

“And I’ll make sure I remember _that_ ,” she said, arching her eyebrows at him. “But since you came here willingly, is it my turn to ask you a hundred questions?”

Oliver heaved a sigh. “I suppose so.” 

“Good,” she said, turning to look at him but not moving much so she wouldn’t bother Shelby. “How did you get here?”

“My plane,” he told her, shifting on the sofa so he was facing her. “We had an emergency landing just outside of Topeka. Took me awhile to get here after, but...” He shrugged.

“And... how are things out there?” she asked quietly.

Oliver was silent for a long moment. “Not good,” he said, voice dropping.

“Did you see any other survivors?”

“They’re few and far between.” He looked at her again. “Whatever caused this outbreak...it spread fast.” 

“Yeah, it has,” she agreed quietly. “We were all in Metropolis when it started and within hours...” she breathed, shaking her head.

“But you got out. I’m glad,” he said sincerely. 

“I’m glad you did too,” Chloe told him just as sincerely. “Do you know about any of the others...?” she asked, looking up at him.

At that, Oliver looked down. “I tried getting in touch with the guys, but the phone lines were already down. The last I heard, Bart was in Spain, Vic was in Sao Paulo, and AC was off the coast of Florida.” 

With a deep sigh, she looked down, too. “If the two of us made it, I’m sure they are okay, wherever they are.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “Dinah was bitten.” His voice was almost inaudible. 

“Oh,” Chloe sat up, looking over at him again. “How do you know?”

“Because I had to put her down.” His jaw tightened ever-so-slightly and he didn’t look at her.

She winced at the information, closing her eyes as she nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” He rubbed a hand over his face, sighing again. 

“Lois probably told you about Jimmy...” she said quietly, glancing up at him.

Oliver reached out, resting his hand on her shoulder, his expression one of sincere sympathy. “I’m really sorry,” he whispered. 

“Me too,” she told him. “About Dinah and Jimmy...”

He hesitated for a second, then slid his arm around her in a hug. Chloe stilled for a moment, surprised but then shifted and wrapped her arm around him too. 

“Is this okay?” he asked uncertainly. They’d never hugged before, and he hadn’t seen her in months. Before that, they’d only worked together a few times. But it seemed like an appropriate gesture when they were talking about having to kill people they’d cared about. 

She nodded then pulled back awkwardly. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with Oliver before but she felt like she knew him really well considering all the secrets. “Do you have any idea how to... stop this? Or what caused it?”

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “No. No clue how to stop it. I’m not sure it can even be stopped,” he admitted. “But the outbreak started here. So I have a theory on what caused it.” 

Chloe paused and frowned, watching him and waiting for him to go on.

“Who do we know who’s always causing trouble with the natural order of things and lives in Smallville?” 

“I thought about Lex too, especially since Lana said he vanished after everything happened but...” Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know, I guess this just feels like it's too big, even for him.”

“It just seems like too big of a coincidence that the whole thing started in Smallville,” he said quietly.

“There’s also--” she hesitated. “The meteor rock. Clark has lost his powers,” she added in a whisper.”

Oliver stared at her. “What if the infection is meteor-rock based?” he whispered back. 

“It could be, but that doesn’t explain how quickly it spread everywhere.”

“Well, I’m not a scientist by any means, but it seems like the main way it’s being passed on is through bites.” 

“And scratches,” she said. “But if it started here and only here because of the meteor rocks, how did it get everywhere so quickly is what I don’t get.”

“I don’t know. Maybe someone was infected and left the area, not realizing they were carrying a virus of this caliber.” He pursed his lips, sitting forward on the couch and resting his elbows on his knees, deep in thought.

“It would have to be. I don’t know about Dinah but Jimmy turned in about twelve hours.”

“Enough time for someone to take a flight far away from Kansas,” he murmured. 

“Halfway across the world,” she agreed, sighing. “I guess the main question is how the first person got infected to begin with.”

“I think the only way we’re going to figure that out is if we find a doctor or biologist who can take samples from someone who’s infected.” 

Chloe nodded. “I wonder where we could find someone like that out here aside from LuthorCorp. There’s the university but that’s a pretty crowded area...”

He considered that for a moment. “I can take the bike. See if I can find someone.” 

“I can come with you, it will be safer if you have someone who can shoot at them while you drive.”

He arched his eyebrows, surprised by the offer. She’d always done more of the behind the scenes kind of work when he was involved. “It could be dangerous,” he said uncertainly. 

“There’s no reason for you to go on your own,” she said firmly.

“And you’re sure you want to be the one to come with me?” 

“Clark can’t do anything without his powers,” she told him. “Lois is a better shot than me, but we’ve been practicing and... she hasn’t killed anyone yet,” she added the last part quietly. “I want to keep it that way.”

Oliver winced. “Honestly, I’m not sure that...” 

“That I can, I know. And I understand if you rather have her go with you, but I would prefer if I went myself. I know how you fight better and like I said, if she doesn’t have to do this for now, that’s better.”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say,” he told her, shaking his head. “I was going to say that I’m not sure that...they’re really people anymore,” he said carefully.

“Oh.” Chloe took a deep breath. “I guess it’s easier to think that they aren’t, anyway.”

“The ones who’ve come after me...there’s nothing there. No sign of any humanity. Not even when it was--” He paused, looking away. “Not even when it was Dinah. There was no recognition, no...” He shook his head. “Just this vacant look.” 

“It was the same with Jimmy,” she admitted. “And even those people outside the Talon. I knew some of them. Not really well but enough for them to recognize me and there was nothing there. It’s the same way in the movies, I guess.”

“I just wish it was a movie and not real life.” He gave her a sad smile. 

“With everything we’ve seen, you’d think this wouldn’t surprise us...” she said quietly, looking down at the dog who was still laying on her lap and brushing her hand over his head.

“You’d think,” he agreed, watching her for a moment. 

Chloe held his gaze for a moment then took a deep breath. “When do you wanna go?”

“Tomorrow,” he told her. “Weather permitting.” 

She had been hoping to go right now, but nodded. “You should get some rest.”

“I am pretty tired,” he admitted. It had been awhile since he’d slept inside. “Also kind of hungry.” 

“Clark and Lana are working on something,” she told him. “We have some canned stuff but Clark has been keeping the farm running so there’s plenty of vegetables and fruits.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Fruits and vegetables sound great,” he said with a small smile, rising to his feet. “You want anything?” 

“I’ll come with you,” she offered, patting Shelby then shifting to get up. 

“Good idea. I don’t know where anything is.” He held his hand out to help her up.

Chloe looked up at him, surprised once again but took his hand and stood. She talked to Oliver a lot on the phone and video calls but she hadn’t been around him long enough to know he was so affectionate.

“How long have you been staying here?” 

“About two weeks,” she told him. “We left Metropolis and came straight here.”

He nodded as they headed into the kitchen. “And it’s just been the four of you?” 

“Yeah. No one had driven by or come by as far as we know.” 

Oliver wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He suspected it was probably a little of both, but he didn’t say so.


	4. Chapter 4

“There is no reason for Chloe to go with you,” Clark said with a deep frown.

“She wants to come with me,” Oliver said, leaning back against the kitchen counter and folding his arms across his chest.

“You will be faster if you go alone,” he argued, mimicking Oliver’s posture.

“Being alone out there isn’t safe,” he told Clark honestly.

“There’s no need for you to go at all,” Clark said.

“There is if we want to figure out how to fix things. We need to find out what’s causing this virus, and try to find someone who can develop a cure.”

“You won’t help anyone if you get killed, or infected,” Clark told him.

“I don’t intend to do either,” Oliver answered, shaking his head. “But I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” 

“We’re not doing nothing, we’re staying alive.”

He paused at the defensiveness in Clark’s tone. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said sincerely. “I know things are different for you now and I understand.” 

Clark stared at him for a moment then shook his head, frustrated. “I should be going with you.”

“You’re not used to things...being the way they are,” Oliver said gently. “Believe me, I wish things were different, especially now.” 

“I don’t know how to help anyone,” he admitted quietly.

“You’re helping a lot by keeping everyone housed and fed.” 

“And I don’t know how long I’ll be able to do that for,” Clark said.

“All we can do is our best. And you’re doing a hell of a job, Clark.” Oliver reached out and patted his arm. 

“Are you ready to go?” Chloe asked as she walked into the kitchen.

He drew in a breath, gazing at Clark for a moment longer, then shifting his eyes back to Chloe, looking hesitant.

Chloe frowned at the look on his face and looked over at Clark.

Sighing deeply, Clark shook his head and walked over to Chloe, hugging her. “Be careful.”

Oliver watched the two of them for a moment, then picked up his helmet, holding it out to her wordlessly.

“We will be,” Chloe promised Clark then reached for the helmet, holding Oliver’s gaze for a moment before heading toward the bike.

He followed her out the back door, exhaling. “You sure you want to do this?” His voice was quiet, but he wanted to give her one more chance to back out. Things out there weren’t exactly pleasant. 

“Yes,” she said firmly, not looking at him as she slid the helmet on.

“Just wanted to make sure,” he told her, climbing onto his bike. 

She waited until he was on the bike before getting on it behind him. She hesitated then held on to his vest. “Okay.”

“Hold on tight,” he advised, starting the bike’s engine. 

Chloe frowned at that then shifted closer and wrapped her arms around him. “Slow down when we get closer so I can pull the gun out.”

He wondered if she’d ever been on a motorcycle before, but hadn’t thought to ask before pulling away from Clark’s house and down the long driveway. “I’m going to have to stop for gas before we leave Smallville,” he warned.

Her frown deepened. She didn’t like the idea of stopping but she knew gas was necessary. “There should be a station about a mile from here.”

Nodding, Oliver fell silent as he drove them toward the gas station.

By the time they reached the gas station, Chloe was completely tense. She had pulled her gun out the second Oliver started to slow down but with the helmet, it was almost impossible for her to take a good look around. “I can barely see with this thing,” she told him.

He stopped the bike beside a gas pump, glancing toward the station inside. There were no lights on, which didn’t surprise him considering it. Then he realized they had a problem. “If there’s no power, getting gas isn’t going to be easy.” He sighed. 

“I didn’t think about that,” she admitted. “Can we get it out of that car?”

He followed her gaze a few feet away. “If there’s gas in it and I can find a hose, we can.” 

“Let’s make sure we’re alone in here first,” Chloe said, sliding the gun into the back of her pants then removing the helmet.

Nodding, he reached out to help her off the bike. “You ever been on a bike before?” 

“Just the kind that doesn’t need gas,” she told him, reaching for her gun again as soon as she was on her feet.

A smile tugged at his mouth. “Cute.” 

Chloe smiled back at him then turned to look around the abandoned gas station. 

“Stay close,” he said quietly, pulling his crossbow off the back of his bike.

“You too,” she said, aiming the gun up like Lois had taught her.

He nodded, leading the way toward the empty station and pushing on the door just a little. It opened easily, a little bell jingling above his head. 

Chloe held her breath as she looked up at the bell, then with a shake of her head, followed him inside.

“Noise seems to draw their attention,” he whispered as they stepped inside the gas station.

“Great,” she muttered behind him.

Oliver glanced down the first aisle of the station, then moved to the next when he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“They are usually noisy,” Chloe said, glancing over her shoulder as she followed him.

“Usually,” he agreed.

Chloe followed him around the station in silence then nodded. “I think we’re okay.”

“Looks like it.” He turned to look at her, then moved farther into the station, back toward the small section of automotive supplies. He picked up a funnel, and then set it back down, shaking his head. “Nothing here I can use.” 

“So what do we do?” she asked with a frown. “Do you wanna go back?”

“We may have--” He paused at the sound of footfall outside the door. “Get down,” he whispered, ducking.

Chloe instantly hid behind the shelf and turned toward the sound, pointing her gun at the door.

Oliver listened as the steps shuffled past, followed by another set. And then another. 

Holding her breath, Chloe looked up at him then back at the door, but she couldn’t see much due to her height.

“Stay still,” he whispered. “There’s a lot of them.” 

“We need to get them before they get any closer,” she told him in a whisper.

“We’ll wait until they go to the other side of the building and ambush them from behind.” 

“Okay,” she breathed, taking a step closer to him. “But keep your distance from them.”

He smiled, holding up his crossbow. “That’s why I prefer arrows to swords.” His voice was light, almost teasing.

Chloe looked up at him, the hint of a smile on her lips. “Good thing you have the aim for that.”

“Exactly.” He winked at her, peeking over the shelf and watching the last zombie make its way past the door, heading around the building. 

With a deep breath, she straightened and waited for Oliver to move, ready to follow him.

He rose to his feet, creeping slowly and quietly toward the door. He reached up, grabbing the bell and silencing it as he pulled it off the hook and set it on the counter. Then he stepped out the door, raising his bow. He’d counted at least twelve zombies as they’d passed. 

As soon as he started shooting, Chloe stepped away from him and started to fire at the zombies, too. She noticed that once she fired the first shot, most of the zombies turned their attention toward them, so she knew Oliver was right about the noise, but now was too late to stop.

Oliver fired another arrow, loading his bow quickly as the remainder of them approached him and Chloe. He motioned her to back up and he did the same, taking out two more. 

She backed up quickly, taking down another zombie. For every two or three Oliver took down, she managed to shoot one, but at least she felt like she was helping some, she was definitely a lot better than she had been two weeks ago.

Finally they were all dead and Oliver lowered his bow to his side, turning to look at her. “Good job,” he said sincerely, reaching out and laying a hand on her shoulder.

Chloe looked up at him and took a deep breath, nodding. “Thanks but... maybe we should find more bows and arrows somewhere. You were right about the noise.”

“I don’t suppose there’s a sporting good store in Smallville?” 

“That’s the one big store Smallville does have,” she told him, smirking slightly.

“Then we may just be lucky.” 

* * * 

It was hours later when they pulled into the parking lot of Metropolis University. There were cars all along the road that had been abandoned, and he was glad they’d taken his bike instead of Clark’s truck, because they wouldn’t have been able to get around. Of course the closer they came to the city, the more and more zombies they saw. Fortunately they moved too fast for any of them to attack. Once he stopped, though, they would have to make a run for it, and hopefully the buildings were relatively empty. He pulled up as close to the main science building as possible and then shut off the bike. He helped her off and they ran to the door. Fortunately it was unlocked.

Chloe followed him inside as quickly as possible, her eyes wide when she realized the door was open. “There might be some inside.”

“We’ll have to be careful.” He shut the door behind them and turned the lock. 

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, keeping her eyes out for any kind of movement. “And hurry.”

He nodded slightly, pulling his bow off his back and heading down the corridor, pausing every few steps to listen for noise. When he didn’t hear anything, he began to relax as he walked. 

“We might be alone,” she whispered when she realized everything was extremely silent.

“Hopefully,” he responded, turning his head to glance at her. Especially considering she wasn’t trained in using the crossbow they’d taken from the sporting goods store in Smallville. 

Chloe stepped closer to him anyway, just in case. “Offices, if I remember correctly, should be on the second floor to the right.”

“Right, you were attending school here,” he murmured, letting her guide him toward the stairs. 

“Yeah, didn’t come to the science building often, though,” she said.

“So no medical journalism for Chloe Sullivan?” he teased.

“I prefer the investigative kind,” she told him.

“What about when the two crossover?” Oliver took the steps two at a time.

“Then I can consult a specialist,” she said, following him as quickly as her short legs allowed her.

He smiled at that. “Fair enough. Where now?” 

“This way.” She took the lead and started down the hallway, feeling more confident now that they hadn’t seen any signs of any zombies inside.

“Stay close,” he warned, quickly falling into step with her again.

“You too,” she said but didn’t stop, just made her way down the hallway, slowing down in front of one of the main offices.

“Professor William Barnard, Ph.D,” he read off the door’s nameplate. 

“Let’s try him,” Chloe said, trying for the door and opening it slowly when she realized it was unlocked.

He heard the footsteps running toward them before he saw the professor, and he quickly grabbed Chloe’s arm, yanking her back and away from the door. Then he lifted his bow and fired a shot into the dead man’s head. He grimaced as the zombie fell to a heap in the floor, blood splattering on the wall.

Chloe held her breath even as she leaned against Oliver because she lost her balance. She stared down at the professor then nodded, looking up at him. “I guess he did this on purpose?” she said, realizing the body was tied to the desk.

“He knew he was infected and didn’t want to hurt anyone,” he murmured, shutting his eyes with a soft sigh.

“And probably didn’t have it in him to kill himself before he turned.” Chloe sighed, pushing herself away from him and toward the desk.

Oliver rubbed a hand over his face and then moved past her toward the file cabinet. He pulled open the first drawer and began flipping through the files inside. 

“He was definitely researching it,” Chloe said, going through the blood splattered files on the desk.

“Let’s just take it all,” he said. 

“Do you have room on the bike?” she asked uncertainly.

“We’ll make room. Or we can improvise.” He picked up a small backpack and held it up.

“Good idea,” she agreed, quickly picking up the files and throwing them in the backpack. “I wonder if he was the only one looking into it here.”

“Me too,” he told her, heading for the door once again. 

“Oliver,” she warned, turning to look at him. “Let’s stick together.”

“I sorta figured you’d be coming with,” he told her.

“Almost,” she said, reaching for another stack that was in a half open drawer and stuffing them in the backpack too.

He nodded, waiting patiently in the doorway for her to finish. 

She slid the backpack over her shoulders and nodded. “Go ahead.” 

He smiled at her and then exited the office, heading down the hall toward the next set of offices. “Dr. Miller. Think he might have been researching?” 

“I think since we’re already here, we might as well take a look,” she said sincerely.

He nodded his agreement and tried the door handle, but found it locked. He arched his eyebrows and glanced at her. “Maybe he’d left for the weekend when the virus hit Metropolis.” 

“Maybe, but shouldn’t we look anyway?” she asked, looking down at the handle.

“Yeah. I was just implying we’ll have to improvise this time. Stand back,” he warned. 

She frowned slightly but took a step back, watching him but keeping an ear out for any noise.

He shifted his weight and kicked the door open, lifting his crossbow just in case another zombie was inside. When nothing moved, he glanced at her sideways. “I think we’re clear.” 

Chloe arched her eyebrows but followed him inside. She was used to doing this kind of thing with Clark and everything was so easy with him when he had his powers, but now that he didn’t, she was glad it was Oliver who was there with her because _he_ was used to doing things the human way. “Let’s take a quick look and move on, I wanna look at the labs before we leave, there might be some kind of research there.”

“Sounds like a winning plan to me,” he told her, heading into Dr. Miller’s office and scanning his desk for anything that might be useful.


	5. Chapter 5

They made their way through all the offices and while they found a little bit of information here and there, nothing as extensive as the first one. Once they were done upstairs, they headed to the first floor once again and after some searching and looking around, found the double doors that lead to the main lab. “Locked,” Chloe said, making a face as she looked up at him. “Think you can kick this one open, too?”

He smiled at her. “I think I can manage.” He winked, then kicked the door hard, and it opened, slamming against the wall inside. The second it opened an ear-piercing alarm began to shriek and his eyes widened.

Chloe’s eyes widened too as she stared up at him. A second later, she could hear the grunts coming from down the hall. “Get in!” She said, pulling the door open further and getting into the labs even as she reached for her gun, in case there were more surprises inside.

Oliver followed her inside, slamming the door shut. He moved across the room and grabbed one of the desks, shoving it in front of the door. “Shit,” he whispered, looking up at the alarm above the door. He picked up a chair and heaved it at the shrill device.

“Oliver.” Chloe frowned, holding her gun out to him. “Just shoot it, there’s no electricity!” she yelled so he could hear her over the noise.

He took the gun from her, aiming it and firing off two shots until the alarm stopped wailing. His heart pounded against his chest as he stared at her, listening to the sound of multiple zombies milling outside the door.

She looked out the door nervously then started to move around the room, grabbing as many rolling chairs as she could and pushing them over. “We need to barricade the door.”

“Desks,” he told her, shaking his head. “They’ll hold longer than chairs on wheels.” He grabbed another desk and carried it to the door, setting it atop the one he’d already carried over.

“They can still smell us, we need something that will mask our smell,” she said, looking through the cabinets and pulled out a flask.

“What is it?” he asked as he moved another desk to the door, putting it in front of the others.

“Chemistry,” she said, pulling out a bunsen burner from one of the countertops and dragging it closer to the door.

He watched her warily, eying the fire extinguisher in the back of the room.

Chloe crouched under the desk that was blocking the door and set the flask over the burner. She took a deep breath, hesitating just for a second before lighting the fire, then quickly moved away from it.

Oliver stood back from the flame, grimacing as a putrid smell filled the air. “What was in the flask?”

“There was no label, but it smells strong enough,” she said, coughing as quietly as possible into her sleeve.

“Smells like sulphur.”

“That’s what I thought.” Chloe made a face then shook her head. “But we should see if there’s another way out of here in the meantime.”

“Well, there are windows,” he told her, moving over to look out the windows and jumping a little when a zombie’s face pressed against the glass. “Okay, not going anywhere from the windows.”

“Ew,” Chloe muttered despite herself when she saw the zombie’s eyeball squished against the glass. “There should be an emergency exit, right?” she asked even as she headed toward the small podium where the teacher should stand.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly, following her.

After searching all corners of the room, Chloe paused by the only other door and looked up at Oliver as she tried the handle. “Unlocked,” she whispered.

“Be careful.” He raised his crossbow at the ready as she opened it. He peered inside, but there was no one. “Looks like an office.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, pushing the door open all the way when there was no movement, then pausing, her eyes widening when she saw a pile of what looked like all sorts of vending machine food. “Woah.”

He followed her gaze, then glanced behind them toward the door where the zombies outside were making a lot of noise. “Maybe we should put an extra door between us and them for now.”

“And block out that smell, sounds like a good idea,” she agreed, setting the backpack down on the desk then going to look through the pile.

Oliver stepped inside the office and shut the door behind him, scooting the desk across the floor and propping it up against the door just for extra security. Then he leaned against it, watching her. “Hungry?”

“Kinda, but we should try to take some of this back,” she told him, lifting a snickers bar. “I’m sure Lois would appreciate this.”

“No doubt,” he agreed with a faint smile. “But I think there’s enough there that if you’re hungry you can eat something. We may be here awhile.” It was hard telling how long a zombie’s attention span could be.

“Yeah, I know. Besides I doubt we can fit all of this into that backpack, anyway,” she said, reaching for a bag of cheetos. “Aren’t you hungry?”

He grimaced. “Not _that_ hungry.”

“You don’t like cheetos?” she asked, surprised.

“I don’t really eat processed food if I can help it,” he admitted.

“Well, hate to tell you but you can’t help it in the zombie apocalypse, so I suggest you pick something,” she said, cocking her head.

He shook his head. “I’m really not very hungry. When I get hungry, though, I’ll try to pick something where I can recognize at least half the ingredients.” He nudged her lightly, a teasing smile on his face.

“Your choice,” she told him, removing the bow and quiver from her back and sitting down on the chair.

Oliver watched as she opened the package of cheetos and then he pushed himself away from the desk, picking up the backpack she’d been carrying. He unzipped it and pulled out a handful of files, moving to sit on the floor underneath the small window, where the light was brightest.

“We should look around here too, after they lose interest.”

He nodded, glancing at her once more. “Yeah. But it’s going to be dark soon.”

“Good thing we have those burners out there, then,” she said. “Do you think we should wait until morning to try and leave?”

“Might be safer,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. “They seem to be more active at night.”

Her face fell and she nodded. “Yeah, and it’s harder for us to see them, too.” She just couldn’t imagine how worried Clark and Lois would be.

At her crestfallen expression, he felt his chest tighten with guilt. “Chloe, I’m going to get you home safely. You have my word.” His voice was quiet.

“It’s not your responsibility to get me home safe,” she told him. “I just don’t want Clark and Lois to worry when we’re okay.”

“Yes, it is,” he responded, frowning. He was going to be in trouble with Clark _and_ her cousin one way or another.

“No, it isn’t,” she said with a frown. “I chose to come with you, it doesn’t make you responsible for anything that happens to me.”

He sighed and looked down at the papers. It wasn’t worth arguing with her about.

* * *

Any light that they had was pretty much gone and Chloe was having to squint to be able to read the research. Finally, she sighed and closed the folder. “More of the same here, virus spreads and becomes active after six to eight hours and takes over completely in twelve to sixteen.”

He had a headache from trying to read in the dimming light and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Which we basically knew.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Hopefully the files we didn’t get to will have more information.”

“Hopefully,” Oliver echoed, laying his head back against the wall.

Chloe sighed softly and got up from the chair, walking over to the window and looking outside.

“Sorry we’re stuck for now,” he told her.

“You don’t have to apologize, Oliver. It’s not your fault,” she said sincerely.

He nodded, letting out a breath. “Bet you didn’t see this coming, though.”

“No, neither did you,” she said, looking over her shoulder and smirking at him.

A smile touched his mouth. “No, I didn’t.”

“At least we’re safe and, I guess the smell is working,” she said, noticing that there were a lot more zombies outside now than before.

“And not coming in this direction,” Oliver added.

“Definitely a plus,” she agreed, moving to sit down next to him on the floor.

He pulled his knees up, resting his arms on them. “So we’ve got some time to kill.”

“Got any ideas?” she asked, looking over at him. It was mostly dark in the room but they seemed to have a full moon out which made it possible for her to see most of his face.

“Well.” He laid his head back against the wall and turned it to look at her. “We haven’t really spent a lot of time together alone.” Or at all, for that matter.

“No, we haven’t, really. So what, you wanna play twenty questions? Because I have to warn you, I’m really good at it.”

“I really don’t doubt that,” he admitted, nudging her very lightly with his elbow.

Chloe smiled softly at that and shrugged. “It’s a little weird when I think about how little I know you.”

He paused, considering her words. “Let’s remedy that.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed, sitting up. “Anything you wanna start with?”

Oliver couldn’t help the amused smile that touched his lips at the enthusiasm in her voice. “Nope, you can pick.”

“Hm,” she considered him for a moment. “Okay, is it true that you and Lois mutually agreed to be just friends?” she asked, unable to stop herself. She’d been wanting to hear his side of the story since Lois told her, considering how excited her cousin had been about going on a date with a billionaire, she had given up on Oliver extremely fast.

He was actually surprised by the question. He assumed she’d believe whatever Lois had to say about their agreement. “It is,” he told her, nodding. “The chemistry just wasn’t there and...I was hesitant because of my now not-so-secret life.”

“Makes sense, but as you can see she reacted pretty well to it,” Chloe pointed out. She loved her cousin and Oliver was a pretty amazing guy, she figured they’d be good together.

“She did. But it still doesn’t solve the chemistry issue. We make good friends though.” He shrugged.

“That’s better than nothing. I just had a hard time believing she didn’t find you all that interesting. No offense,” she added.

He chuckled. “Sounds like Lois.” He glanced at her sideways.

“I know, but I’m glad you don’t hate each other. It’d be a lot harder to do this if you did.”

“Talk to me, you mean?”

“Not really because I know you’re a good guy. But the whole surviving an apocalypse together part,” she said.

“Oh.” He nodded. “I suppose that does make a difference. Lois is more like a sister than a cousin, isn’t she?” His voice was curious.

“Yeah, we kinda grew up together. Her dad was always working and her sister was off in Europe so she stayed with dad and I a lot,” Chloe said, trying not to think about the fact that she had no idea if her dad, Lucy or the General were still alive.

He hesitated, then reached out, squeezing her arm lightly.

Chloe was once again surprised by the gesture but looked over at him and nodded. “I’m glad she found me before things got really ugly.”

“Me too,” he said sincerely.

“And that you found us,” she added.

He smiled. “I was going to find you guys one way or another.”

She frowned at that. “Were you looking for us?”

“Yeah. As soon as I heard about the outbreak,” he told her. “The phone lines were already down by then, though.”

“But why?” she asked.

He frowned. “Because in apocalyptic situations, I figure it’s best to stick together.”

“Right but... you could have gone to find Bart or one of the others,” she pointed out.

“Kansas was the closest,” he explained. “Bart moves so fast, it’s hard telling where he is one minute to the next.”

“That makes sense,” she said sincerely, taking a deep breath and leaning against the wall.

“Plus there were more of you here in one place,” Oliver added.

“Yeah, I guess the farm is a pretty central place for everyone,” Chloe said.

“I’m hoping the others will show up here, too,” he confessed.

“I was hoping for that too, but after all this time? I don’t know...”

Oliver sighed, nodding. Truthfully, he’d had the same thought more than once. “Still. Can’t give up hope.”

“What else have we got, right?” Chloe said, even though she didn’t believe her words.

“Each other,” he said quietly.

Her chest tightened at that and she turned to look at him, her lips pursing together and she had to take a deep breath before she could nod. She felt like all hope had drained from her the second she shot Jimmy, but finding Oliver had helped and now that he pointed that out, they _were_ lucky for finding each other, all five of them.

He gazed at her in the semi-darkness and then shifted, sliding his arm around her shoulders.

This time, not only was she expecting the half hug, she actually leaned against his side. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine making it through this without all of you.”

He leaned his head against hers, rubbing her arm gently. “We’re going to figure out how to turn this thing around. Somehow.”

“I hope so,” she said quietly. “Tell me something, or ask me anything,” she offered, closing her eyes.

“How did you and Clark meet?” he asked, keeping his arm around her.

Chloe smiled instantly at the question. “My first week at junior high,” she told him. “He was assigned to show me around.”

“And being the boyscout, I’m sure he was more than happy.”

“He was. But I was certain he was amish, so after our first day, I made him take me back to the farm so I could both see a real farm and see how the amish lived. Of course, by the end of the day I already had a crush on him so it was kind of an excuse,” she added with a grin.

Oliver laughed. “And what did you think about how the Amish lived?” he teased.

“I figured out really fast that Clark was just a regular farmboy, or so I thought at the time anyway. Then I met Mrs. Kent and she told me all about growing up in Metropolis and how she was shocked when she met Mr. Kent and learned _he_ lived on a farm, so I felt more like they were normal people.”

“Little did you know at the time.” He smiled faintly.

“No kidding.” Chloe shook her head. “I started to suspect a couple years later, but I just thought he was meteor infected, you know? I never would have guessed my best friend would be an alien.”

“It does sort of sound like the beginning of a cheesy movie on Sy-Fy, doesn’t it?”

“It really does,” she agreed, looking over at him. “And it only gets better considering you and the guys,” she said.

He smirked. “Glad we at least get supporting roles in the movie of Chloe’s life.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d be the supporting character in the movie about all the superheroes,” Chloe pointed out.

Oliver cocked his head to the side. “I think you don’t give enough credit where credit’s due.”

“No one makes movies about the sidekicks, Oliver,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m okay with helping, though.”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think the sidekicks are more interesting. People don’t realize how important they are, or how much good they do. They don’t realize that most sidekicks are heroes in their own right.” His voice was thoughtful.

“Sure, but most of them don’t have stories that are nearly as interesting,” she pointed out.

“All depends on your definition of interesting.”

“A superhero billionaire and an alien are way more interesting than me,” she said, smirking at him.

“To you,” he corrected her.

“To me and most people,” she pointed out. “No one wants to hear about someone who does research for a team of superheroes, they want to hear about the superheroes themselves.”

“Maybe I want to hear about you.”

“I can tell you,” she promised, smiling.

“Good.” He smiled, too, giving her an affectionate squeeze.

Chloe took a deep breath and smiled. “Can you teach me how to use that bow?”

“Most definitely.” He nodded. “Hey, then you can really be my sidekick.” His voice was teasing.

“I’m not going to change my name,” she warned.

Oliver cocked his head to the side. “Why would you change your name?”

“Wouldn’t my name have to match yours? Green... Quiver? Or Arrowette or something?” Chloe asked.

He chuckled. “Actually, I do kind of like Arrowette. That’s cute.”

“I prefer Watchtower.” She sat up. “Sounds more fitting.”

“Arrowtower? Watcharrow?” He may or may not have been kidding.

“We’re not getting married, Oliver, I don’t think we need to take each other's names,” she teased. “Although Green Tower would probably be the least awkward out of those.”

He shook his head, amused. “I suppose I could deal with Green Tower.”

“Since I usually call you Arrow and you call me Tower, I think we’re good as it is,” she said with a grin. If she was honest, she was more than a little flattered that Oliver would want her to represent the image he had created for himself, too. Even if it was all a joke and if their names and secret identities didn’t matter at all anymore.

“Fair enough.” His stomach growled and he made a face.

Chloe arched her eyebrows. “Maybe it’s time for some junk food, Arrow?”

“Looks like I don’t have much choice,” he said with a sigh.

“The cheddar stuffed crackers aren’t that bad and they are pretty filling,” Chloe suggested.

“I’ll go with that then.” He glanced at her sideways. “Of course if there’s any kind of nut in the processing of any of the food, I’m gonna need an epi pen.”

Chloe made a face at that and shook her head. “Let’s take a look at the ingredients before, then?”

“It’s pretty dark. I’m not sure we can see the ingredient list.”

“I’ll use a burner if I need to. I rather not risk it,” she said, frowning.

“Well, me either,” he admitted. “But I could wait til the sun comes up. I won’t starve.”

“No, I don’t want to be the only one eating all the junk food,” Chloe said as she stood up, going through the pile and picking some things out as well as she could.

He chuckled. “I’ll have to go by the sporting goods store again and get a set of barbells.”

“Consider the whole running from zombies your exercise for the day. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, where are you going?” He quickly rose to his feet, eyes widening.

“To light up one of the burners so I can read the ingredients in these?” She lifted the packages she had picked out. “I don’t think I can bring one in here.”

“Well, I’ll come with you. Just in case.” He picked up his crossbow off the floor.

“Okay,” she agreed, taking a deep breath then pushing the desk away from the door.

He laid a hand on her arm, motioning her to open it and step back, just in case. He raised his bow. He didn’t think any of the zombies had gotten into the lab, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.

Chloe nodded and pulled the door open all the way, stepping aside so he could shoot if needed.

He peered into the darkness, then took a step forward when he didn’t hear or see any movement. He coughed at the pungent smell of burned sulphur.

She coughed, too, following him outside as she covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve. “Let’s hurry.”

“Agreed.” He pulled the office door shut so the smell wouldn’t invade.

As soon as she was by the counter, she reached for the closest burner and started the gas, pulling the packages as close as possible so she could read.

He waited, peering out the windows to see how many of the undead were still lurking. “There are less outside now,” he told her quietly.

Chloe paused. “Enough to get through or not yet?”

“Hopefully they’ll be more cleared out when dawn breaks.”

She looked down for a second then started back to the office. “I’m done, let’s go.”

Oliver nodded, following her and reblocking the office door once again. “So what’s my dinner menu look like?”

“Stay far away from the crackers in the red package, they have peanut butter in them, but the blue ones should be okay.” She handed it to him. “Cheetos are fine too, as are Doritos. And if you want chocolate, you can have a Milky Way.”

“Honestly I couldn’t tell you the last time I had chocolate,” he admitted, taking the package of crackers from her and ripping them open. He popped one into his mouth.

Chloe just stared at him for a long moment and shook her head. “There is something seriously wrong with that statement.”

He smirked. “I like my food fresh and healthy.”

She opened one of the peanut butter crackers and took a bite of one. “That’s fine, but you gotta have chocolate.”

“Well there goes the kissing portion of our trapped alone scenario.” His voice was light.

Chloe stilled for a second, her eyes widening then she realized he was saying that because of the crackers and mock sighed. “Damnit, if I had known that was on the schedule...”

“Hey, maybe there’s a toothbrush around here somewhere.”

“I’m not using someone else’s toothbrush, Oliver. Not even for you,” she said, sitting back down on the floor.

He mock gasped. “I’d make it worth your while, Chloe.”

She paused and a smirk grew on her lips. “It’s a zombie apocalypse, I’m sure we’ll have other opportunities that won’t involve peanut butter.”

At that, he grinned. “I predict I’ll be reminding you of that statement at some point in the near future.”

That made her stop and stare at him for a moment. She knew he was joking but she couldn’t help the mental images that came with his statement. “Oh?”

“Yep.” He popped another cracker into his mouth.

Chloe squinted at him. “Okay.” She had no idea what else to say.

“Hey, it’s the zombie apocalypse. Gotta take our fun where we can get it, right?” He looked at her.

“Right,” she agreed, taking another bite.

His smile was faint and he ate another cracker.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Chloe woke up next morning, her neck was hurting and stiff. She groaned quietly and lifted a hand to rub it, looking around the room for a moment as she tried to remember where she was and then noticing she was pressed against something soft and warm. Frowning, she turned to look at it and paused when she realized it was Oliver.

When she moved, he shifted, lifting his head up and opening his eyes. He blinked a couple of times, looking around in the dim light and smiling sleepily. “Morning.” 

“I guess I slept on you,” she muttered, rubbing her neck once again and taking a deep breath as she sat up.

“It’s fine,” he told her, watching her. “Neck hurt?” 

“Yeah, a little. You’re tall,” she said, glancing at him over her shoulder and smiling.

He smiled, too, then motioned her to turn around with a twirl of his finger. 

Chloe paused and cocked her head, staring at him for a moment then shifting and turning her back to him.

He shifted forward and rested one hand at the back of her neck, moving his fingers over it and massaging her neck tenderly.

“Ow,” she muttered, closing her eyes and relaxing almost instantly.

“Relax,” he murmured, moving closer and bringing his other hand up to massage her right shoulder at the same time. 

Chloe sighed deeply and relaxed more, shivering slightly at his soft touches.

Oliver held his breath as he felt her shiver beneath his fingers and he swallowed hard as he worked on getting rid of the tight knots in her muscles. 

She didn’t even realize she was leaning back against him until she felt how far back her back was leaning. She shifted and straightened, opening her eyes. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

He couldn’t help but smile again. “I’m terrible at football.” 

“I bet you didn’t need that to be popular in High School,” she said quietly.

Oliver paused. “Well, I went to private school. We didn’t even have a football team,” he admitted. 

“I don’t even understand that,” she admitted, starting to lean back again.

“Not having a football team?” When she nodded, he shrugged though she couldn’t see him. “Excelsior was big on academics and more sophisticated things than sports.” 

“Makes sense,” she agreed even though she was barely paying attention to his words.

He was quiet for a moment. “We did have a phys ed class, though. We did a lot of things like archery and golf.” 

“That explains why you have such a good aim,” she said.

“I actually started shooting when I was about four.” 

Chloe took a deep breath to force herself to focus on him once more. She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. “Did your dad teach you?”

His smile was faint. “Yeah. He did,” he told her, nodding and looking up to meet her gaze.

“That’s nice,” she said sincerely, smiling back at him. “Considering how big a part of your life it became.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, pensive. “A new bow was the last gift he gave me before...” He shrugged with one shoulder. 

Her face softened and she nodded. “Maybe that’s why you feel so attached to it. The last thing my mom gave me was a folder so I could archive all of my articles as I wrote them. I had just had my first front page in the school paper.”

He gazed at her for a long moment. “What exactly happened when your mom left? Was she sick?” His voice was quiet. 

“Not that I know of,” she admitted. “She kind of just left, Dad wasn’t expecting it either and we just had no way of contacting her.”

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been really difficult.” He gently moved his fingers over her neck again. 

Chloe shivered at the touch and looked away quickly. It was a completely inappropriate reaction, considering the conversation and the fact that it was Oliver. “It doesn’t matter anymore, but thanks.”

Oliver nodded, watching her closely and feeling his chest tighten a bit. “We’ve led somewhat similar lives,” he murmured. “Haven’t we?” 

With a deep breath, she pulled away a little and turned to face him, both to stop him from touching her again and because she wanted to check on how he was doing. Talking about her mom was already hard on her, she couldn’t imagine how bad it was when he didn’t have either of his parents. “In a way, I guess we did.”

Oliver met her eyes, holding her gaze. “Must be why we can relate to each other so well.” 

“That and our lack of powers,” she added, holding his gaze.

“Touche,” he agreed. “And we’re both stunning blondes.” He flashed her a bright smile.

Chloe couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Fair enough.” She stretched her arms over her head then stood up. “Thanks, by the way, that really helped.”

He looked up at her, nodding. “Anytime,” he told her, raising to his feet, as well. 

“Should we try to get out of here?” she asked, looking out the window. The sun wasn’t fully up yet but it was much lighter outside, enough for them to see.

“Soon. I thought maybe we could get in a practice round first, though.” He picked up her bow and held it out to her. 

She considered him for a second then nodded, reaching for the bow. “Good idea.”

Oliver moved to stand behind her, bringing her arms up to chest-level and positioning her in the correct stance and posture, his hands sliding along her arms. 

Chloe stiffened for a second then let him position her properly. She glanced at him over her shoulder, pausing when she realized how close to her he was standing. “What should I aim at?” she asked in a whisper.

He licked his lips, nodding toward the calendar on the wall. “That.” 

She blinked a couple of times, unable to take her eyes off him for a second longer before she managed to force herself to look away.

He shifted once more, even closer, showing her how to accurately aim the bow. “With crossbows it’s mostly point and shoot,” he murmured. “The long bow’s a little different.” 

“You’ll have to teach me that sometime,” she muttered, trying to focus on the target but she was having a hard time considering she could feel him all around her.

“I’d love to,” he said honestly. “We can make another trip to that sporting goods store soon.” He was so close, she could feel his breath against her cheek. 

She knew she shouldn’t look up at him, but there was something so magnetic that she couldn’t help herself. “Okay,” she whispered, holding his gaze.

His gaze dropped involuntarily to her mouth and he swallowed hard, eyes dilating. 

Chloe licked her lips unconsciously, but as she felt a strong urge to lean closer and kiss him, she forced herself to take a deep breath and look away. “Tell me what to do.”

He blinked a couple of times, lifting her arms a little. “Steady it. Aim it. And then let go.” 

She glanced his way out of the corner of her eyes then focused, lifting the crossbow and steadying it with one hand as she narrowed her eyes, aiming at the center of the calendar. She held her breath for a second and shot the arrow.

When it hit the lower part of the calendar, he grinned. “Hey, you’re a natural.” 

“For zombies with a big head,” she muttered, lowering the crossbow and turning to face him again.

He chuckled. “It’s your first shot. Most people wouldn’t even hit the target, Chloe.” 

“I’ll try again,” she told him, watching him for a full moment before turning her back to him again.

This time, he reluctantly let her steady herself without his assistance. “Now aim,” he told her.

She had been expecting the physical contact once more and was a little disappointed when she didn’t feel him coming closer but it did make it easier to concentrate. She shot a second arrow and when it hit the very center of the calendar, she couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her lips. “Much better,” she said, turning to face him.

“You’re a quick study,” he told her, eyes bright. “Somehow I’m not surprised.” 

Her face was bright as she looked up at him. “Guess now I just need to practice on the ones out there.”

“And we can work on target practice when we get back to Smallville, too. And I can show you the longbow.” The enthusiasm in his voice was unmistakable. 

“Can’t wait,” she said sincerely, looking at him longer than she should have before reaching down for the backpack they had packed the previous night.

He watched her, then moved to pick up his crossbow and quiver of arrows. “We should get going. Or at least try to get going.” He made his way toward the door, grabbing the two arrows free and handing them to her. 

“Thanks,” she said, setting the arrows into the crossbow then nodding at him. “I’m ready.”

Oliver moved the desk away from the door and lifted his crossbow as he flung it open. The lab was completely empty. “Looks like we’re clear for the next step.” 

“I’ll put out the fire and then we can move the desk as silently as possible,” she told him.

“Putting out the fire is good, but the window might be a faster option if there aren’t too many outside. My bike is about two yards from here.” 

“Oh,” Chloe said, looking over at the door then nodding and heading for the window. “Let’s try that, then.”

Nodding, he peered out the nearest window. “There are a couple, but they’re far enough away we should be able to get out and to the bike without much trouble.” He hoped, anyway.

“I’m right behind you,” she said, watching as he reached to open the window and jumping out of it a second after him.

He glanced back to make sure she was right behind him, then made a run for his bike, yanking the key out of his utility belt and fastening his crossbow onto the bike once he got to it. 

Chloe got on the bike behind him a second later, wrapping an arm firmly around him and lifting her crossbow in case they were followed. “Go.” 

She didn’t have to tell him twice. He started the bike and revved the engine to life, speeding away from the university. 

* * * 

The drive back to Smallville was shorter than usual but the closer they got to the farm, the more anxious Chloe got. She couldn’t wait to see Lois, Clark and even Lana again and make sure they were okay. And she also couldn’t wait to start practicing with Oliver.

As soon as she was able to see the farm, however, she grew even more anxious. “I wonder if they are asleep,” Chloe said when Oliver started to slow down.

“If they are, the bike will probably wake them up,” he admitted. 

“Probably. At least everything looks normal.” She had been terrified that they would find the farm trashed and filled with zombies.

“Thank god,” he responded, slowing the bike even more until he stopped it. 

Not even a full second later, Lois, Clark and Lana showed up on the porch. 

Chloe climbed off of the bike and smiled, heading straight to Lois. “Before you ask, we’re okay.”

Lois hugged her instantly, closing her eyes. “Stupid phones not working,” she grumbled. 

“Sorry I worried you,” Chloe said sincerely. 

“What happened?” Clark asked as he approached them. 

Chloe took a moment then pulled away from Lois. “We broke into a lab, there was an alarm so they all rushed to the door because of the noise. We had to wait until they left to be able to get out and we wanted to wait until morning so we could see them and make sure they weren’t too close.”

Oliver pocketed his keys. “Basically everything she said.” He shrugged, glancing at Chloe for a moment, then heading for the porch. 

She watched Oliver walk away with a frown, then turned to her cousin again. “We found some food that we brought back, junk food. And we have the files from one of the professors who seemed to be researching what happened.” Chloe chose to leave out the fact that the man himself had been infected and that they had to kill him. There was no need for them to know.

Lois’s eyes lit up. “What kind of junk food?” 

“Chocolate,” Chloe said, smiling. “And all kinds of vending machine food, some cheetos and crackers.”

“Oh, chocolate,” Lana said. “Hope there’s plenty to share.”

Lois looked at her cousin hopefully. “There is, right?” 

Clark shook his head, amused. “You girls and your chocolate.” His voice was light and he smiled at Chloe. 

“Plenty for all the girls,” Chloe teased, smirking at Clark and starting inside the house.

Lois followed her closely, and then Clark and Lana. “Hopefully it’s not melted.” Although if it was, she’d eat it anyway, even if it was messy.


	7. Chapter 7

It was several nights later when Oliver found himself awake just after 3 a.m. He pushed himself up off the sofa and made his way outside, hoping the fresh, cool air might help him clear his mind enough to get a couple more hours of sleep. Rubbing a hand over his face, he blinked a couple of times as his eyes caught sight of flickering light in the barn. Frowning, he slowly made his way farther outside, barefoot, to see who was out there and what was going on. He was several feet away when he heard the familiar whooshing of an arrow flying through the air, followed by the equally familiar _thwack_ as it hit its target. 

Sure enough, he peeked in and saw Chloe practicing with the longbow he’d been teaching her with for the past several days. She had surrounded herself and the target with candles to light her session and he couldn’t help but smile. She’d been practicing a lot since they’d gotten back from Metropolis, and he’d been right when he’d told her she was a natural at archery. Each day she got a little better at it. 

He watched as she pulled back on the bowstring and let another arrow fly, hitting the target just left of center. “Bring your arms down just a little.” 

She had been so concentrated _and_ frustrated that she had missed the center again that she hadn’t even heard him coming in. At the sound of his voice, she turned in his direction with wide eyes. “You’re lucky I don’t have an arrow ready to go,” she told him, taking a deep breath. 

“Sorry,” he told her, even though an amused smile curved his lips upwards. He took a step forward. 

Chloe shook her head and relaxed a little, managing a smile, too. “Couldn’t sleep?” she asked, finally lowering her bow and setting it down next to the quiver.

He shook his head, too. “Thought I’d come get some fresh air, saw the candlelight...” He moved over and sat down on the steps. 

“I was kind of restless,” she admitted, walking over to the stairs and sitting down next to him, one step higher so they could be about the same height.

“Is this helping?” he asked.

“Yeah, gives me something to focus on.” And the better she got, the more useful she would be out there.

“Good.” He smiled.

“How are you doing?” Chloe asked, leaning her elbows on her knees. They had been spending a lot of time together, practicing, but usually one of the other three was around, either practicing too in Lois and Lana’s case. Or just watching, in Clark’s. So they hadn’t had a lot of time to really talk since MetU.

“All things considered? I can’t really complain,” Oliver said. “I have food, shelter, a place to sleep, good friends, and I haven’t seen a zombie in days.” 

“All plusses,” she agreed, but her voice was quiet.

He shifted so he was facing her on the step, reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder. “What about you? How are _you_ doing?” 

Chloe let her shoulders slump as she leaned forward, resting her arms over her legs. “We’re incredibly lucky but... sitting here and just hiding from the rest of the world like this, I feel like we could be doing more. Like we _should_ be doing more.”

“Me too,” he confessed quietly, looking down at his hands. “But Clark doesn’t have his powers and...” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. 

“And it’s not safe, I know. But how long can we keep this up for? A couple of years, maybe if the farm keeps growing? And then what?”

He pursed his lips, glancing at her sideways. “I don’t know, Chloe,” he admitted. “I wish I had answers. But in this situation, there’s only so much we _can_ do. We’re only human, and even if we started clearing out Metropolis of all the zombies, more would just come in from other cities. And without a plane, we can’t travel long distances easily.” 

Chloe paused at that and stared at him. “Why can’t we get a plane? I mean if you have any idea how to fly one, we could go to the library and find books on it and study. There is plenty of gas still available and we wouldn’t have to worry about landing in airports, any highway would do.”

He arched his eyebrows. “I have no idea how to fly one. It’s why I had a pilot,” he said gently. “And remember if the highways are anything like they are between here and Metropolis, that’s kind of dangerous.” 

She looked at him for a moment then sighed, looking down and in an instant looking back at him. “What about tanks? We could easily drive those.”

He cocked his head to the side, considering. “We’d have to learn how to drive that, too, but at least that’s more feasible.” 

“We saw some parked downtown Metropolis when we came from the Planet, but I bet there’s a closer military base. And I bet Lois knows where to find it,” Chloe said, sitting up. The possibility of not being trapped at the farm anymore was definitely something she wanted to hold on to.

“Do you think she knows how to drive it?” he asked.

“It’s Lois, so more than likely that she does. I can’t believe we didn’t think about this before,” she said as she stood up, running her fingers through her hair that was already getting longer than she’d have liked.

He stood up, too. “Clark isn’t going to like this idea,” he said quietly.

“Clark is scared, more than the rest of us. He’s never felt this vulnerable before, he doesn’t know how to deal with it,” Chloe pointed out. “That’s why we need to be the ones to do this, because we know our limits.”

Oliver studied her for a moment, then nodded. “All right. But we’re going to have to take Lex’s car this time.” 

“Not a problem, just need gas.” She was already sounding more excited about their future.

He couldn’t help but smile at the excitement in her voice. “Find some other survivors...” 

“That would be nice. At least if we had more people we would have some chance at starting over,” she told him.

Nodding, he reached up to rub the back of his neck. “True.” His voice was quiet.

“I mean otherwise, we’d be waiting on Clark and Lana to repopulate Earth.” Chloe smirked, arching her eyebrows.

“They’re not the only ones who can do that, you know.” He smirked back at her.

“Right, maybe not in theory,” she said knowingly. The teasing and the innuendo had just grown stronger since MetU, but she didn’t mind. She had no idea if he meant anything by it, but it gave her something to think about before bed every night.

He grinned. “Well, we could always _test_ that theory.” 

“You should probably ask Lois before you try to test it,” she teased, smirking more.

“Who said anything about Lois?” he asked, taking a step toward her.

“I have no idea what you mean, then,” she said innocently but didn’t step back. 

“I think you do.” There was a hint of challenge in his voice as he took another step closer, leaving only a few inches of space between them. 

This time, she inched forward too, her feet brushing against his, but she wasn’t touching him otherwise. “Do I?” 

“You do.” He held her gaze. They’d been flirting for weeks now, dancing around each other in what for some might have been nothing more than friendly teasing. And sometimes that’s all it was. But lately he found himself thinking about her more often, found his gaze lingering on her longer than a friend’s gaze would linger. 

Chloe searched his eyes and when she realized he wasn’t about to back down, she felt her stomach tighten with anticipation. It was a challenge now, and while she wanted to see where it would go, the possibilities scared her. 

Oliver reached out with one hand, resting it gently against her cheek and brushing his thumb over her skin. He waited for her reaction to his movement. 

She didn’t react at all at first, but her heart was beating fast in her chest. She’d been wondering what it would be like to kiss him since that night at the labs, when he brought it up and this was obviously her chance to find out. Before she had the chance to stop herself, she lifted a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him closer, tiptoeing and pressing her lips to his.

He was surprised by her movement, but maybe she’d been wanting this as much as he had. He wound his other arm around her back, hauling her against him as he met her halfway, deepening the kiss. 

Chloe was more than a little relieved when he kissed her back. She wrapped her other arm around his back and held him close, surprised by how amazing his lips felt against her and how strong his arms were around her. She shouldn’t have been surprised by either, but she hadn’t been expecting the surge of electricity that was suddenly running through her.

He hadn’t been expecting it either, but he was sure as hell enjoying it. He had expected that she might be hesitant, unsure of herself when it came to kissing. But she gave as good as she got and if he’d been able to think straight, he’d admit he was impressed in addition to surprised. He nipped lightly at her lower lip, then soothed it with his tongue before sliding his hand up and into her hair. 

She parted her lips and took the opportunity to take a deep breath, but a second later, she was kissing him again. She was far from done with him.

Again he was surprised when she kissed him again, but he didn’t hesitate kissing her back once more. He turned her so her back was up against the wooden post that helped hold up the barn. He let one of his hands slide down to rest against her hip, brushing his nose over hers before claiming her lips again.

Chloe made a noise in approval, he was way taller than she was and leaning back against the post made it easier for her to stand on her tiptoes. She lifted both arms and wrapped them around his neck, her body pressing up against his as she kissed him deeply. She didn’t know why she was doing this, but she hadn’t felt this alive since way before the zombie apocalypse started.

After several long moments, he reluctantly pulled away in order to breathe, his vision unfocused as he looked at her, his eyes darker than usual. 

She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and stared up at him. It took her a full moment before she could really think again, but when she did, a smirk appeared on her lips. “Is this what you meant?” she asked.

“Pretty much,” he told her, studying her, wondering what was going on in her head.

“Glad I got the right message,” Chloe told him, not sure what else to say considering his body was still pressed against hers.

“I’m not sure how much more clear I could have been,” he admitted.

“I don’t know, I think I’m the one who made it clear,” she pointed out, squinting up at him.

“Either way, it’s pretty clear.” He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“How so?” she asked.

Oliver cocked his head. “Clear that we’re both interested.” 

“Interested,” she echoed. “ _Not _in repopulating Earth, right?”__

__He couldn’t help but chuckle. “No. Not in repopulating the earth. Who’d want to bring kids into the world right now anyway?” His voice grew more serious._ _

__“As long as we’re on the same page there too.” She relaxed, not wanting the conversation to get serious again._ _

__He nodded. “Pretty sure we are.”_ _

__She shifted slightly against the post, letting her feet down from her tiptoes since they were starting to hurt. She didn’t know what this meant, or what he was thinking but she had made her move, now it was his turn._ _

__Oliver watched her for a moment longer, brushing his fingers against her cheek and then dipping his head to kiss her once more, a softer kiss this time._ _

__Chloe was surprised once again, this time by the tenderness of the kiss. She returned it but a moment later, she lifted a hand to the back of his head and deepened it._ _

__They kissed again for several minutes, until again they had to pull away to breathe. Gazing at her, he smiled faintly. “We should try to get some more sleep.”_ _

__Yeah, because that was going to be so easy now. Chloe couldn’t help but smile back at him, though. She was wide awake but she felt more relaxed than she had earlier, happier even. She was going to choose to blame hormones on that one. “I suppose we should.”_ _

__He reached out and took her hand, tugging her away from the post and pulling her toward the barn exit._ _

__“Wait,” Chloe said, pulling her hand from his and blowing the candles before walking over to him again, but not reaching for his hand. “If I set the barn on fire, Clark will kill me.”_ _

__“Well, I doubt he’d kill you, but he probably wouldn’t be very happy.” He winked at her._ _

__“Better not risk it.” She followed him outside and took a deep breath. It was already starting to get cooler, she didn’t even want to imagine what winter was going to be like._ _


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe was exhausted when she got up the following morning. As expected she hadn’t been able to sleep until the sun was starting to rise, and when she did manage it was only for a few hours before Lois got up and then any chance she had of sleeping was gone. 

Even after a shower, as she made her way downstairs, she felt like she hadn’t slept at all, but she knew that by now Clark and Lana were probably already working at the farm and the rest of them had to help. But not until after she brewed some of the coffee she and Lois had brought back from the Talon. 

With a yawn, she waited for the water to boil, her eyes closing as she leaned sideways against the counter.

“Morning,” Oliver greeted a moment later as he walked into the room, hair standing up in all directions.

Chloe opened her eyes and looked over at him, if she’d been more awake, she might have been startled, or even cared about the fact that they had made out last night and things could potentially be very awkward today. As it was, she just wanted her coffee. “Hey.”

He smiled at her, leaning against the counter. “Waiting for your fix?” he asked lightly.

“Yeah, need it,” she admitted, looking up at him. She caught herself thinking he looked adorable with bed hair and quickly shook her head. “Are the others outside?”

“I think so. I just woke up,” he told her. 

“Oh, go back to bed if you want,” she offered.

Oliver shook his head. “Garden needs to be weeded, cows need to be milked. The life of a farmer doesn’t wait for one to get enough sleep.” 

“Of all the things I never thought I’d hear you say...”

He grinned. “All I need is one of those floppy hats and a pair of overalls,” he joked.

“So sexy,” she deadpanned without really thinking about it.

He leaned in and pressed his lips close to her ear. “That’s my goal in life.” 

Chloe shivered, suddenly feeling a lot more awake as she pulled away to look up at him.

He winked at her, not moving away. “Get any sleep after we parted ways?” 

“Some,” she said, watching him closely mostly because she couldn’t help herself. “You?”

“Some,” he echoed.

“Good,” she said quietly, her hand brushing over his as she lifted it to pull her hair from her face.

Oliver leaned in again and pressed a light, barely-there kiss against her mouth before pulling away once more, studying her expression.

Chloe was about to kiss him back when he pulled away. She opened her eyes again and stared up at him.

“Morning,” he whispered, dipping his head and kissing her again.

She couldn’t help but smile against his lips for just a second before returning the kiss. There were definitely worse ways to wake up your brain.

He smiled, too, when he felt her smile. Then he pressed another kiss to the tip of her nose, smirking. “Want some eggs for breakfast?” 

Chloe wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I think I’ll wait for the others, I’ll just have coffee for now.”

“If you wait, that means I have to cook for all of them, too,” he complained good-naturedly. 

“Pretty sure we’re supposed to be sharing all the food,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t wait otherwise.”

“I was sort of kidding,” he told her, nudging her lightly with his foot. 

“Do you want some coffee?” she offered even though she knew the answer.

Oliver made a face. “No thanks.” 

“Want some of the hot water to make tea?” she asked as she turned around to shut off the stove, then carefully poured the water into the filter.

“I think I used the last of it yesterday,” he admitted, shrugging. “I’ll make a trip to Metropolis in a few days and see about raiding a store.” 

“We haven’t raided the ones in Smallville or Grandville yet. I’ll go with you later,” she said. “Gotta practice on moving targets anyway.”

That made him smile. “Sounds like a plan.” And maybe they could have some time alone somewhere after they raided a store.

“Besides, it gets us out of farm work,” she said, making a face as she turned to look at him again. “We can take the truck and get some winter clothes, too. It’ll get cold soon.”

“Good idea. It’ll be easier to bring more stuff back in the truck anyway.” He leaned back against the counter.

“Yeah, we might even be able to get you some more gel.” She smirked, looking up at his hair as she leaned sideways against the counter, too.

Oliver gave her an amused look. “Cute.” 

“Just trying to help,” she said innocently.

“Looks that bad, huh?” He raked a hand through his hair. 

Chloe grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand away from his hair. “It’s kinda cute.”

“Kinda?” he echoed, cocking his head and narrowing his eyes at her. 

“Kinda,” she told him even though she didn’t mean the kinda part at all.

“Well. Yours is kinda cute, too.” He reached up, mussing her hair playfully.

Chloe made a face and pulled away, running her fingers through her hair and glaring at him. “Now I’ll have to go upstairs and brush it again.”

He chuckled. “It looks fine, Chloe. It’s sexy.” He tugged on a strand gently. 

“Sexy, huh?” she echoed, cocking her head and looking up at him. “Better than kinda cute.”

“Like you just had a roll on the mattress,” he informed her with a smirk, sliding his arms around her waist. 

Chloe was surprised by the action but stepped closer to him anyway. “Well, I did. But it was with Lois and not in a fun way.”

“I’d be very worried if it was.” He laughed. 

“Not that desperate yet,” she pointed out.

“That would be pretty desperate,” he agreed, shifting closer to her. 

“Extreme--” Chloe stopped talking and pulled away from him instantly when she heard noises coming from the door. She turned to look at it and unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair.

He arched an eyebrow when she jerked away from him faster than Bart running for a burrito.

She glanced up at Oliver then at the door again as she turned her body to face the coffee pot. “Is everyone out there already?” she asked Clark casually.

“Yeah, except you two,” he told her with a small smile. “But I got the feeling you didn’t sleep well last night so we thought we’d let you sleep in.” 

“What makes you say that?” Chloe asked, tensing.

“I kept hearing footsteps last night,” he told her with a shrug. “They sounded like yours.” 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, not looking at Oliver as she stepped to the side to get a mug from the cupboard.

“You didn’t,” Clark explained to her. “I just wasn’t sleeping well.” 

Oliver watched as she avoided looking at him while she talked to Clark and he wasn’t sure whether to feel annoyed or hurt. He pushed himself away from the counter. “I’m gonna go get started on the garden,” he told Clark, heading for the door.

Chloe did look at him this time, just to watch him walk out of the house. She had the very distinct feeling that he was mad at her somehow, but she had no idea what he had been expecting.

Clark frowned as he watched him go. “He okay?” 

“I guess he’s just tired,” Chloe lied, then focused on her best friend again. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

He shrugged. “Just wishing there was something more I could actually do,” he confessed.

“Well...” She’d been planning on talking to Lois about this first, but now that she had the chance to talk to Clark without Lana around to interfere on his opinion, she might as well. “Oliver and I were talking about the next step last night.”

“Oh?” Clark sounded curious. “What’d you two come up with?” 

“We were thinking of trying a military base for tanks. We won’t be able to stay at the farm forever and if we are in tanks, we’ll be safe from the zombies. We can drive around, find food, hopefully other survivors and maybe even run into more research about this,” she told him. 

He was silent for a long moment, and then he slowly moved to sit down at the table. “You’re going to leave.” 

“You know better than any of us that the farm isn’t going to last a long time, Clark,” she said gently, then moved to sit down across from him. “And we can get food from the stores around here for a while but, it won’t last.

Clark sighed, looking up at her with worried eyes. “It’s not safe out there, Chloe. And...I can’t protect you anymore.” His voice was quiet.

“I’m not asking you to. You’re just like the rest of us now and if we stick together, we can protect each other.”

“Maybe,” he said, sounding unsure as he looked down at the table. 

Chloe reached out and took his hand in hers. “We don’t have to leave yet, we can take some time. Oliver is an amazing teacher and he can teach you and Lana how to use a bow and arrow, too. We will be okay.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he squeezed her hand lightly. “It is nice to do this without having to worry about breaking your hand,” he said with a faint smile.

She smiled at that and nodded. “I guess there are good things about being only human.” Chloe cocked her head and smirked. “Like you and Lana.”

As if on cue, Clark’s face flushed red. “Right.” 

Chloe grinned at the look on his face and squeezed his hand back. “It’s something to be happy about, Clark.”

“I am,” he told her quickly. “Just..not used to it yet, I guess.” 

“Get used to. The way things are now, I think we have to hold on to what we do have,” she said, her stomach tightening as she grew serious.

His hand tightened around hers just a little. “How are you doing?” His voice grew quiet.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I feel better now that I’m better at the bow and crossbow. Like I can actually do something if we’re surrounded, you know? I think it would help you and Lana, too.”

“I’m just not sure a bow and arrow is for me,” he said uncertainly.

“We can find you something you’re comfortable with. As long as you can protect yourself, that is all that matters.”

He gave her hand one last squeeze before letting it go. “I should get back to work.” 

Chloe took a deep breath, then nodded, pulling her hand away. “I’ll be out in a second.”

Clark nodded, rising to his feet and heading for the door.

Sighing, Chloe stood too and finally poured herself some of the coffee she made. It was going to be a really long day.

* * *

Most of the farm work was already done, and Chloe hadn’t really spoken with Oliver at all since that morning. But since they agreed to go to Smallville to get supplies the previous day, she grabbed the keys to Clark’s truck and headed back out of the house, toward the garden where he had spent most of the day. 

“Oliver?” she called as she approached him.

He was silent for a moment as he finished pulling up weeds and tossing them aside before turning to look at her. “Yeah?” 

“Do you still wanna go see if we can raid the store downtown?” she asked, watching him closely.

“Yeah. But I’m gonna need a shower first. I’ve been playing in the dirt all day.” He shrugged, brushing his hands on his pants. 

“I can get Lois to come with me if you don’t wanna go,” she offered with a frown.

“I’m not sure Lois is ready for battle,” he told her. “I just need a shower.” 

“Okay, I’ll go get the bows and everything,” she said, but kept her eyes on him.

“All right. I’ll see you shortly.” He headed away from the garden and toward the house, not looking back. 

Chloe sighed deeply and shook her head, then made her way into the barn to gather their weapons. She had no idea what was up with him.


	9. Chapter 9

The drive to downtown Smallville was a short one, but it felt like hours the way the silence stretched between them. This time, Chloe was driving and Oliver was riding shotgun, keeping an eye out for any of the walking dead that might be lingering in town. He was still perturbed over the morning’s events--or rather lack thereof. He wasn’t sure how to take her sudden change of attitude and behavior when Clark had stepped inside. Though, she had mentioned before she’d had feelings for Clark. Maybe those weren’t gone. 

“Should we head to the grocery store or try for clothes first?” she asked as she drove down main street, which seemed to be deserted if not for the bodies that were piled up outside the Talon from their last trip there.

“Clothes first,” he suggested. They still had plenty of food at the farm--even if it was getting to be dull eating the same things over and over.

“Okay,” she agreed, taking a deep breath and watching him for a moment. “Are you okay, Oliver?” she asked finally. 

He glanced at her sideways, then looked out the windshield. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You don’t seem fine,” she pushed, watching the road. 

“What makes you say that?” 

“You didn’t talk to me all day and now you’re not even looking at me,” she told him firmly. “I’m not a mind reader, so if you have a problem you need to say something.”

He blinked a couple of times. “Well, I was working all day and now I’m watching out for zombies,” he pointed out. 

Chloe rolled her eyes at his answer. She had tried, if he was too stubborn to tell her, there was no point continuing this conversation. But it was good to know that this was how he was going to act after they made out because now she could put a stop to that before they went any further. 

“Besides, you couldn’t get away from me fast enough earlier. Just thought I’d make it a little easier for you.” He shrugged.

And there it was. She looked over at him once again. “What are you talking about?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. “This morning in the kitchen. We were about to kiss. The second you realized Clark might see, you pulled away from me so fast, you could’ve put Bart to shame. What was that about?” 

Chloe parked the car and turned to look at him. “What did you _want_ me to do? Invite him to watch?”

He looked at her dubiously. “What, afraid he might implode if he saw you kissing me?” 

She stilled and squinted at him, completely thrown by his answer. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know.” He held her gaze. “Maybe he’s not crazy about me being around.” 

“Is that what you think?” Chloe asked. “Did you get that idea when he invited you to stay at his house or when he agreed to share the little food the farm is providing with you?”

“Not crazy about me being around _you_ ,” he answered, giving her a look before climbing out of the truck. 

She grabbed the crossbow and followed him out. “And why would he care about that?”

He shrugged as he strode toward the front of the small department store. He wasn’t surprised to find the door locked. 

“You’re being ridiculous,” she said as she followed him, pausing when she realized the door was locked, too and starting to go around the building without another word.

“Okay,” he answered, not looking at her. He considered the door for a moment, not wanting to damage it in case there was an alarm. Then he quickly scaled the wall up to the balcony above, swinging himself over it. That door was unlocked. “Bingo.” 

Chloe had been about to try the service door on the side when she saw him on the roof. “Showoff,” she muttered, watching him then heading back to the front of the store and waiting for him to open it for her.

He unlocked it a moment later, after checking around to make sure there was no alarm. Then he pushed it open to let her in wordlessly.

She looked up at him as she made her way inside but didn’t say a word. She grabbed one of the carts from the corner and started toward the back of the store.

Oliver watched her go, then shook his head, moving toward the men’s department of the store. He grimaced at some of the options, but grabbed a few items anyway. It was the apocalypse, after all. It wasn’t like he was going to be in a fashion show.

Chloe piled all the sleeping bags she could find into the cart, then grabbed the warmest jackets, boots and gloves she could get her hands on. Most of them were too big for her and Lana, but the longer the clothes were, the warmer they would be. 

A few minutes later, he wandered over to where she was stuffing things into the cart. “Good idea with the sleeping bags.” 

“Figured we will need them if we leave the farm, and these are pretty warm,” she said as neutrally as she could manage. The fact that there were so many clothes available for them did help improve her mood quite a bit. 

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, we will.” He stacked the clothes he’d picked up for himself and Clark onto the things she’d already gathered. 

“This should be a good start. I don’t think there’s anyone else in the area who will come looking for supplies, so we can come back if we need to,” she told him then started back for the front door, pulling on the crossbow that was now hanging from her shoulder and holding it in her right hand.

Oliver sighed softly and followed her, falling silent as they moved out the door once more. He loaded up the back of the truck with the stuff, glancing around to make sure nothing was around. When he was sure they were safe for the moment, he glanced at her, then headed across the street to the supermarket. 

Chloe followed him inside a moment. “I guess we should get all of the canned food first and then see what else we need.” She knew she was planning on getting every single box of tampons she could find because all three of them needed some and there was no telling when they would find more.

“I think we’re probably safe enough we can split up with two carts. The store’s not very big so if there’s trouble, we’ll still be within ear range,” he suggested.

“Okay,” she agreed, sliding the strap of the crossbow over her head and letting it hang over her back once again. After grabbing her own cart, she started down one of the aisles.

He started in the opposite direction, heading down the pasta aisle and grabbing boxes off the shelf. He loaded the cart up with tomato sauce, soups, everything that looked like it would stay good for awhile. 

Chloe grabbed all of the canned vegetables she could get. She also grabbed some condiments since she knew food probably wasn’t going to taste good for long and those things lasted forever. Once she was done in that aisle, she went over to get shampoo and toothpaste, but didn’t bother clearing out the shelves. They could live without shampoo, they couldn’t live without food.

Oliver made his way toward the center of the store after filling the cart up with everything that looked good. “Finding anything good?” 

“A lot,” she said, looking over at his and meeting him halfway. “We should find some boxes too--” she stilled when she heard a noise, reaching for her crossbow a second later and looking around.

Oliver did the same, loading the bow with an arrow silently and moving toward the noise as quietly as he could.

Chloe walked over there with him. Whatever it was, it seemed to be behind the exchanges counter. “Careful,” she whispered.

Nodding, he aimed the bow as he stepped around the counter, pausing as a short chuckle escaped him. He lowered the bow once more. “It’s a opossum.”

She breathed in relief, smiling as she looked down at the animal. “Good. I was afraid it was going to be a child.”

He glanced at her, grimacing at that thought. “Thankfully not.” 

“I wonder if animals can get infected,” she said, looking down at the opossum, it looked normal.

“Well, we haven’t seen any infected ones yet,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“Yeah and considering all of the people left in the area seem to be infected, that’s a good sign,” she said, looking up at him again. “Ready to go?”

“Just about.” He gazed at her. “Look...about before.” 

Chloe took a deep breath and shook her head. “Forget about it,” she told him.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I just wasn’t sure how to take your reaction this morning.” 

“I don’t know what you expect,” she told him honestly.

He wasn’t sure how to answer that, either. “Maybe it’s best if we just forget about it.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed. It was the best thing to do considering they had to be around each other for the rest of their lives, however long they might last. But she was a little disappointed.

He was disappointed by her easy agreement, but he nodded, accepting it anyway. “Okay. So we’ll just...go back to how we were before last night.” 

“Yeah. And we’ll go on with our plan and see what happens.” She looked at him for a moment longer then started to push her cart toward the door. “I spoke to Clark about it.”

Oliver arched an eyebrow. “How’d he take it?” 

“About as well as expected. It will take a lot of convincing from Lana to get him to go anywhere,” Chloe sighed. Better to focus on this and not on the fact that she wouldn’t be making out with Oliver anymore.

“And what are the chances that Lana will want to come with us?” 

“I honestly don’t know,” she told him. 

He walked alongside her, pushing his own cart. “And if they don’t want to go along with the plan?” 

Chloe almost cringed at the question, it wasn’t something she wanted to consider but she knew she had to. “I don’t know. If we leave without them, it’s murder. If we stay, it’s suicide.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “There’s another alternative.” 

“Which is?” she asked, stopping and turning to look at him.

“I’ll go to Metropolis, find a tank.” He shrugged.

“And then what?” Chloe frowned.

Oliver shifted his gaze away. “Look for help. Doctors or scientists. Other survivors.” 

“Not alone,” she said firmly, staring up at him. 

“I can handle it,” he told her, looking back at her and meeting her eyes. “I was on my own for weeks before I met up with the rest of you.” 

“But you don’t have to anymore,” she pointed out. “If you don’t want me to come, take Lois with you.”

“Chloe, this isn’t about you,” he said gently. 

“Then what is it about, Oliver? Because you seem to have changed your mind overnight,” she said, her voice firm this time.

He sighed. “It’ll be easier if I’m on my own. I won’t have to worry about anyone else’s safety. I can move faster that way.” And she wouldn’t have to decide between trying to keep him safe by coming with him, and leaving her friends behind. 

“Easier for you, maybe,” she said, staring up at him. 

“And _safer_ for everyone else,” he told her.

“How do you figure that, Oliver? You’re the one who can protect us better than anyone else,” she pointed out. “You’re the one _training_ us. I don’t know if you remember, but Lois and I wouldn’t have made it outside of the Talon if you hadn’t arrived.”

He pursed his lips, falling silent for a moment. “Whether I leave and go off alone, or whether you or Lois come with me--the rest of you will be in danger. So either I don’t leave, or we _all_ leave. And the farm’s safer than anywhere else we found.” He blew out a breath. “There’s no easy answer here.” 

“Yes, there is. You said it yourself, the farm is the safest place we know of so far. If Clark and Lana refuse to come with us, the three of us go back to Metropolis, try to find help, or at least another group of survivors and then we come back for them. One person being out there on their own _isn’t_ an option.”

“Why do you want to put yourself in that kind of danger, Chloe?” he asked, sincerely curious about her answer. 

“It was my idea, Oliver,” she pointed out. “I’m not letting you put yourself in that kind of danger for something _I_ wanted to do.”

“Danger isn’t exactly something I’m new to,” he responded.

“Neither am I,” she said, her expression completely neutral even though she felt like shaking him again. 

Oliver stared at her, then looked away, considering. “We’ll talk to the others.” 

She stared at him for a moment longer then nodded and started toward the truck once more. If he thought he was going somewhere _alone_ , he could think again.


	10. Chapter 10

It took them a couple of weeks before they were ready to leave. They hadn’t been able to convince Clark and Lana to come with them, so they left them with plenty of food and the promise that they would be back as soon as they had the tanks. Chloe didn’t know if getting back would make a difference in them coming with them, but she hoped it would. 

But for now, it was only her, Lois and Oliver and as they approached Metropolis, she couldn’t help but tense. “Where should we head, Lois?” she asked, looking around the streets and already starting to spot zombies in the area. She just hoped things at the military base would be calmer.

“The base is south of here,” she said, sounding nervous as she looked around, tightening her grip on the crossbow she was holding. 

“Just... don’t stop,” Chloe told Oliver as they approached a bigger group of them. They had taken Lex’s car, but hopefully it was enough to get them through. 

He gripped the steering wheel a little more tightly, his knuckles turning white. “No chance of that,” he assured her, keeping his eyes straight ahead. 

With a deep breath, she nodded and looked over at Lois then kept her eyes on the road. “I can lower the window and shoot at them.”

“I think keeping the windows rolled up right now is probably a better idea.” He glanced at her sideways. “We need to conserve the arrows as long as we can.” 

“Right,” Chloe agreed, nodding and sitting back against her seat. “Just be ready for the airbag. It will probably inflate,” she warned the two of them.

Lois grimaced, sitting farther back against her seat, as well. “We could disable them,” she suggested. “Right?” 

Oliver glanced at the console. “We could.” 

“Should we?” Chloe asked. “I think we would hurt ourselves more if we did.”

“It’s not going to end well if I’m trying to drive around an inflated airbag,” Oliver told her, reaching out. “I’ll just shut off mine and leave yours on.” 

“Okay,” Chloe agreed, fully planning on pulling Oliver over if something happened. 

He shut his airbag off and turned his focus back to the road ahead, swerving around a group of zombies that were coming toward the car. He’d be glad when they had a tank and he didn’t have to worry about crashing. 

Chloe looked back at Lois again, who was sitting in what they had of a backseat, then reached over and wrapped her left hand around Oliver’s jacket.

Oliver glanced at her, arching his eyebrows silently. 

“Just in case,” she told him, holding his gaze.

He wondered if she really thought she’d be able to stop him from flying through the windshield if he had to slam on brakes and the seatbelt failed. 

Chloe watched him for a moment longer then looked ahead once again as they closed in on a horde of zombies, trying to prepare herself for the impact.

“I hate to damage this pretty car of Lex’s, but I think if I maneuver this just right we can scrape by without a wreck.” 

“There are plenty of other cars we can get to after we have the tank. Just focus on keeping us all alive and away from them,” Chloe reminded him. 

He nodded, focusing his attention ahead rather than glancing at her. “Hold on,” he warned.

Lois reached out and held onto Chloe’s seat with one hand and Oliver’s with the other, bracing herself. 

Oliver steered the car onto the sidewalk, taking out an abandoned magazine stand in the process and scraping the side of the car into a brick wall as he gunned past the horde, grimacing. 

Chloe winced when the car brushed against the wall on her side and pulled away  
from the door, not moving until they were past it in mostly one piece. “Wow,” she muttered, looking at Oliver. 

He flashed her a bright smile. “Ye of little faith,” he said lightly.

She grinned softly and shook her head, relaxing against her seat as she pulled her hand from him. They had been keeping all kinds of physical contact to a minimum since they agreed to go back to normal. 

Lois smirked from the backseat, rolling her eyes. “We need to get the two of you a room.” 

Chloe frowned, looking over her shoulder and giving her cousin a look. “How far until the base?” she asked.

“Depends on how many of the walking dead we run into between here and there. If there aren’t a lot, we’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so.” 

“Good,” Chloe said, turning back on her seat to look forward. She didn’t even want to know what made Lois say that, but she planned on pretending she hadn’t said anything.

* * * 

Oliver looked around the army base, perturbed by how quiet it was. “I figured the place would be dead, but I didn’t figure it would be _this_ dead,” he mumbled. 

“Even if there were people around, it wouldn’t be anymore ‘alive’,” Chloe pointed out, her crossbow ready to go if they saw any kind of movement. 

“That’s what I meant. It was sort of a pun,” he admitted, shrugging. 

“Oh.” Chloe glanced over at him. 

“Chloe’s humor is lacking,” Lois said, then took the lead. “Tanks should be this way.”

Oliver lifted his crossbow, following her closely, looking around for any signs of zombies.

While she followed, Chloe kept her attention on their surroundings, too. Zombies weren’t fast, and the longer they were zombies for, the slower they became since their bodies were decomposing. But there was no need to risk getting caught by surprise because if there were a lot of them, they might not have time to shoot them all down before they came too close for comfort. 

“I figure if we can make it there, we can take up shelter in the clock tower for the night,” Oliver said quietly, glancing back at Chloe.

“Good idea, hopefully it will be in one piece,” Chloe agreed, looking up at him for a second, then back at Lois who was leading them into a huge warehouse type of building. “Be careful going in, Lois,” she warned.

“Careful’s practically my middle name,” Lois responded with a smirk, opening the door. 

“Move!” Oliver shouted, lifting his crossbow and shooting a zombie as it barreled out toward them. His eyes widened as he saw the horde of walking dead heading right for them. “Run!” 

Chloe took off as soon as she made sure Lois was coming, Her heart was racing and even as she turned to shoot at them, she didn’t stop moving. “Hurry!” Chloe called, starting to run faster so they could gain some distance and stopping dead on her tracks a second later. 

Another group of zombies seemed to have appeared and they were running toward them as fast as they could. “ _Shit_.”

Oliver stopped, too, his heart pounding in his chest as he raised his bow, shooting several of the zombies ahead. He looked at Chloe, and then at Lois, swallowing hard. “Get ready to run as fast as you can,” he said quietly. 

Chloe nodded, but didn’t move. They had nowhere _to_ run, so she just started shooting as many of those things as she could.

“Hey, you bastards!” he shouted, waving his arms. “Come and get me!” Without warning, he charged toward the horde, throwing his crossbow down on the ground. 

“Oliver!” Chloe yelled so loudly, her throat felt raw. She ran after him, but he was so much faster than she was, she could see the zombies reaching for him. “Oliv--” she started to yell again, but gasped, her eyes widening when she suddenly found herself floating, surrounded by green light.

Lois gasped, too, as she found herself floating. “What the hell is going on?!” 

Chloe fell to her knees, she looked down watching the zombies for a moment then at Lois, but she couldn’t see Oliver.

A moment later, the three of them landed atop a roof a block away, at which point Oliver threw up everything he’d eaten that day. 

“Oliver,” Chloe gasped as soon as she heard him. She felt incredibly dizzy, but she got up and started toward him, trying to decide between killing him herself and making sure he was okay even as she walked.

“What just happened?” Lois demanded, looking around with wide eyes.

“I saved your life,” a man said as he landed next to Lois and held his hand out to help her up.

She stared up at him, eyes getting even wider as she reached out and slid her hand into his. “Who _are_ you?” 

“People call me Green Lantern, but you can call me Hal.” He grinned brightly at her.

“Another superhero?” Lois arched her eyebrows and looked over at her cousin and Oliver, then back at Hal. “Lois Lane.” 

Chloe was glaring down at Oliver when she heard what Lois said and turned to look at her and the man she was talking to. 

“Doing okay there, Ollie?” Hal called as he smirked at the other man. 

Oliver took a few more deep breaths, then turned his head to look at Hal, eyes widening. “Jordan? What the hell are you doing here? And what the hell are you wearing?” 

“Technically nothing.” He grinned. “Suit is made of energy, but that’s a long story.”

He made a face, making his way to his feet even as his stomach rolled. He shut his eyes for a moment, and then took a deep breath. 

“You two _know_ each other?” Lois asked, surprised again.

“More importantly, how did you do that?” Chloe asked. 

“The ring,” Hal answered, showing it to them. “But we can talk about this later, where were you headed?”

“We were planning to borrow a tank,” Oliver told him.

Hal looked over the edge of the building, then reached for a tank with the ring and lifted it on the roof where they were. “This one?”

Oliver gaped at his old friend. “Seriously?” 

“Woah,” Chloe muttered as she approached the tank, touching it to make sure it was real. 

“Wow,” Lois said, awestruck as she stared at Hal. 

Oliver shook his head. “We have some catching up to do.”


	11. Chapter 11

The suite at the Hilton was familiar even if Oliver hadn’t actually been in that particular one. He was, however, a little surprised that the entire hotel was otherwise unoccupied. While he was relieved that it was free from zombies, he was more than a bit pessimistic about the fact that there were no other _living_ people, either. 

He was also thrilled that Hal and his ring had managed to get the hot water working. He hadn’t had a hot shower in weeks, and it felt amazing. When he stepped into the room he’d claimed for his own, towel wrapped around his waist and Chloe glaring at him, he felt a little less amazing. He sighed at her look, but motioned for her to go on. He could tell she wanted to yell at him. 

She didn’t say anything at first. If she wasn’t _so_ angry at him, she might have been distracted by his lack of clothes, but as it was, all she could think about was him, running straight toward the horde of zombies, unarmed and ready to use himself as bait. 

Chloe stood up slowly, her eyes on him as she did. “What the _hell_ were you thinking?” she asked, her voice firm but low.

He met her eyes, gaze not wavering. “I was thinking there was no point in all three of us dying, and I had to do _something_.” 

“And what did you think was going to happen when you died, Oliver?”

“I didn’t,” he told her. “I was _hoping_ you’d get away.” 

“Let me tell you what would have happened: I would have tried to come after you, but I would never have been fast enough to kill all of them so they would get both of us. And if Lois followed? She would have been infected too. If for some reason she didn’t follow and managed to get away, she would have watched both of us turn and would have to kill us herself.” Her jaw was tight as she glared at him. “Self-sacrifice isn’t going to help _anyone_ , Oliver. We fight together and we at least try to get away, otherwise we might as well jump out the window because we’re not going anywhere.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her. “Why would you have come after me? I told you both to _run_. Did you see the size of that horde? No way we were going to get out of there, Chloe. It was either do what I did, or all three of us die, and frankly that’s ridiculous. You could have gotten away and gotten back to Lex’s car and gone back to Smallville.” He took a step toward her, shaking his head. “Coming after me wouldn’t have done anything except get us _both_ killed.” 

Chloe stared at him for a long moment. “And what would you have done if Lois or I tried to do what you did?” she asked simply.

“That’s different,” he said sharply.

“Is it?” she dared even though the hint of a smirk appeared on her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. “Explain to me Oliver, exactly how much less than ours is your life worth?”

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Not really my point, Chloe.” He moved over toward the bed. 

“Then what is your point, Oliver?” she asked, stepping forward, toward him. 

“This is what I do,” he told her, arching his eyebrows. “It’s who I am.” 

“And protecting people like you is what _I_ do.”

“Maybe you should worry more about protecting yourself,” he responded, rising to his feet and moving to stand right in front of her. 

“And maybe you should worry more about keeping yourself alive so I don’t have to,” she said tightly. 

“I never asked you to do that,” Oliver said, narrowing his eyes. 

“And I’ve never asked you to use yourself as bait for me, but you did it anyway.” Her jaw was clenched as she spoke, her hands in fists, but she kept her voice even.

“Maybe I can’t stand the thought of you getting killed,” he snapped, moving closer to her.

Her stomach tightened at his words and there was a flicker of something else in her eyes, but all she did was stare at him for a full moment. “Maybe it works both ways.”

He stared back at her and then lifted his hand to cup her cheek, his mouth descending on hers a second later. 

Chloe lifted her hands to his chest with every intention to push him away. But the moment she felt his lips on hers and his warm skin under her palms, she couldn’t stop herself from returning the kiss. All she wanted was to pull him closer.

Oliver did just that, his other arm wrapping around her and pulling her right up against him. He knew they weren’t supposed to do this. It was against the agreement they’d made. But ever since he’d made that stupid agreement, all he’d wanted to do was break it. He’d been itching to touch her, to kiss her again, for weeks now. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck almost instantly, pulling him as close as she could as she parted her lips under his to deepen the kiss.

He slid his hand up and into her hair even as their tongues met. Without really thinking about it, he tugged at the hem of her shirt with his other hand. 

Chloe moaned against his mouth, sliding a hand into his hair.

Within seconds, he’d pulled her shirt off, dropping his mouth to her neck and kissing her there, nipping lightly and soothing the skin with his tongue. He kissed his way up to her earlobe and grazed it with his teeth. “I can’t stop thinking about you,” he whispered. 

Shivering, she pulled away with the last drop of self control she still had and stared up at him, even though she wrapped her arms around his neck again.

“Do you want me to stop?” he murmured, pulling back to look at her, his eyes dark.

Chloe took a deep breath. “I want you to promise me you’re _never_ doing that again.” Although she tried, her voice wasn’t as firm as she would have liked.

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I’ll try to keep that promise.” 

“No.” She did pull away completely this time and almost wished she hadn’t. “I mean it, Oliver.” 

“I know you do. But we’re in the middle of an apocalypse, Chloe.” His voice was low. “I can’t make you any promises.” 

“Yes, you can.” She stepped forward again. “Promise we’ll stick together, that we will protect each other instead of you sacrificing yourself.”

“Can you make me that same promise?” he asked seriously.

Chloe held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. She planned on fighting for as long as she could. “Yes.”

He considered her words, then nodded. “All right. Then we’ll stick together and protect each other.” 

She let out her breath then stepped closer again, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him once more.

He slid his hands up to rest against her hips, tugging her even closer to him.

Chloe pressed her body against his, her bare stomach touching his as she tiptoed to kiss him better. She’d been thinking about this all along, too and she’d been having dreams about it, but none of them felt nearly as good as actually kissing him did.

Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms, lifting her off her feet and turning so they were facing the bed. He laid her down on the mattress, covering her body with his own. 

As soon as she was on the bed, she kicked her boots off and pulled him to her once again, not wanting to lose the physical contact for too long.

Oliver pressed a kiss against her cheek and then kissed her mouth, slowly and deeply. He sat up a little and reached to unhook the front clasp of her bra, lifting his eyes to her to make sure she didn’t protest. 

Chloe opened her eyes and glanced at his hand then up at him. With a deep breath, she reached for the towel that somehow was still wrapped around his waist and tugged on it.

He smiled at her as she pulled the towel away from him. He unhooked her bra, sliding it down her arms and gazing at her. “You’re beautiful,” he said sincerely.

She looked up at him, her chest tightening when she noticed the look on his face. It was so open, so sincere, she almost believed him. Still, she didn’t say anything, just lifted her head and pressed her lips to his.

He stroked her cheek with his fingers and returned the kiss, then slowly pulled away to trail his lips down her body. 

With a shiver, she kept her eyes closed, focusing on feeling his lips on her skin. Everything was quiet outside, the bed was soft and the room was warm from the vapor of the shower Oliver took. It felt like things were completely normal and she could relax.

“So soft,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to each of her breasts and then against her stomach, tongue darting out to taste her skin.

“You’re talking too much,” she started to tease, then made a quiet noise at the feel of his warm tongue on her stomach. 

He grinned at the noise she made. “Maybe I like to talk to you.” He undid the top button on her jeans.

Chloe finally opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at him. “Maybe I like it better when you use your mouth for other things,” she said, feeling a little self-conscious now that she could see her exposed breasts but only for a second before she managed to focus on _his_ bare chest.

“Who says I can’t do both?” he asked with a smirk, pressing a kiss to her naval and tugging her jeans down her hips.

“Multi-tasking is good,” she muttered as she lifted her hips to help him get rid of her jeans.

Oliver discarded the jeans over the edge of the bed and peeled her underwear off with his teeth, flashing her a bright grin.

She pulled herself up on her elbows and stared down at him, her eyes darkening at the look on his face.

He pressed a kiss to her knee, keeping his eyes locked on hers. 

Chloe sat up some more, holding his gaze as she did, divided between pulling him closer and letting him continue.

He kissed his way slowly up her leg, nibbling on the inside of her thigh. “Tell me what you want.” 

She shivered but didn’t move otherwise, wanting to keep her eyes on him. “You.”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s not very specific,” he teased, resting a hand on her other thigh. 

“What I want is going to depend on whether or not you have a condom on you,” she said, her expression serious.

Oliver reached out and picked up his wallet off the bedside table. He pulled a condom out of it, holding it up for her to see. “We have a winner.” 

She sat up on the bed and reached for it, grinning as she relaxed. “Then how about I show you what I want?” she asked, wrapping her fingers around his hand and pulling him closer again.

“I love this plan,” he whispered.

She smiled and knelt on the bed, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him to her to kiss him.

He kissed her jaw a moment later, laying back on the bed and tugging her until she was on top of him, staring up at her with hooded eyes. 

She laid her chest to his but pressed her knees against the mattress, kissing him one more time before pulling away and sitting up once more. She opened the condom he had handed her then looked down at him as she sat back on his thighs.

Oliver watched her, then held his hand out for the condom. 

Chloe shook her head at him. “I got it,” she said, sliding the condom carefully over him before glancing up at him once again.

He propped himself up on one elbow, then reached out and slid a hand up her back, over her bare skin. 

She shivered and leaned over him once more, positioning herself so she was brushing against him as she did. Not that it was necessary, they were both more than ready.

He rested his hands on her hips once more. “How long’s it been?” he asked quietly. 

The question made her pause. She didn’t know exactly. “Few months,” she answered, not wanting to think about the last time she’d had sex, or any of the times she’d had sex before since they had all been with Jimmy. And they all felt like a distant memory, before this whole thing had started.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, sliding a hand between them and stroking her gently.

His touch was, thankfully, enough to distract her from her thoughts. She moaned quietly and shook her head. “You won’t.”

Oliver kept his eyes on her, fascinated by her reaction to the lightest of touches. 

She bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at him, leaning into his touch once more. 

He stroked her until her head fell back, her eyes closing. “Come for me,” he whispered, easing a finger inside of her heat. 

She lowered her hips against his touch, her eyes still on him as she moved for a moment longer. Considering how much she’d been wanting this, it didn’t take her long before her muscles were clinging to his fingers and her orgasm hit her, causing her to moan loudly.

He smiled at her, bringing his hand to his mouth and sucking her juices off his fingers. 

Her eyes widened as she watched him. Without hesitation, she leaned in and kissed him deeply even as she brushed her hips against his.

He kissed her back, sliding his hands to her hips once more to position her over him. “Ready?” he murmured. 

“Ready,” she muttered against his lips, reaching between them and guiding him inside her. 

Meeting her eyes, he guided her hips down against his own, slowly, watching for any signs of pain or unexpressed desire to stop. 

Chloe took her time, getting used to him as she lowered her hips over his. With a nod, she held his gaze and started to move slowly. 

Oliver let her set the pace, meeting her half way even as he tugged her down to kiss her again, sliding his hands up and down her back, touching every part of her that he could reach.

She leaned over him, hooking her arms under his shoulders to pull him closer as she kissed him back, slowly starting to pick up the pace.

He rested his hands at her waist, helping her move more quickly as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, then another to her jaw. 

Chloe shivered, making a quiet noise and keeping her eyes closed as they picked up speed, but it wasn’t enough for her so she pulled her arms from around him and sat up, moaning loudly as he slid deeper inside her. 

Oliver groaned at the noise she made, and he sat up too, pulling her against him once more and thrusting up into her. He smoothed some hair back from her face, dropping his head to nibble his way across her collarbone. He slid one hand behind her upper back, gently pushing her away from him and dipping his head to capture a nipple in his mouth, suckling. 

Her back arched and she wrapped her arms around him as soon as she could, keeping her eyes closed and pulling him to her as she slammed her hips to his.

Without warning, he grabbed her hips and flipped her so she was lying on her back beneath him, pulling her knees up and over his shoulders as he entered her again, thrusting fast and hard. He gritted his teeth. He was close, but he wasn’t going to let himself go until he’d given her pleasure first. Holding one arm around her waist as they moved, he slipped his other hand in between them and began to stroke her again. 

Chloe cried out, wrapping her hands around the sheets as she moved against him as fast as she could, muscles clinging and with just a couple more thrusts, her orgasm hit her a thousand times harder than before. 

Seconds later, he followed her over the edge, catching himself on his hands so he didn’t collapse on her and crush her as he panted for breath, dropping his head against her collarbone. 

She shifted her legs and dropped them to his sides then wrapped her arms around him again, turning her head to rest on his even as she tried to catch her own breath. 

He exhaled, shuddering and then shifted, dropping to his back and pulling her to him so she was half lying on his chest. 

Chloe adjusted to the new position and wrapped an arm over his chest then lifted her head to look at him, still unable to think of anything coherent, much less say something.

He opened an eye to look at her, smiling at the look on her face. “Agreed.” 

She couldn’t help but grin both at the look on his face and his word. “Need to get up,” she said, but didn’t move.

“It’s night time,” he pointed out. 

“Lois and Hal will be back soon,” she said, shifting on the bed and lifting her head to look better at him. She really didn’t want to move, but she didn’t want to get caught naked in bed with Oliver, either.

Oliver rolled his eyes, sighing. “But I have other plans for you in a few minutes.” 

“Oh,” Chloe said, looking away from him for a second and glancing at the closed door then focusing on him again. “Guess we should lock that, then.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and got to his feet, moving away from the door and turning the lock. “Feel better now?” His voice was light and teasing. 

“Yes,” she said, her stomach tight all of the sudden. She hadn’t planned on having sex with him and she definitely didn’t plan on sleeping in his room, but for now, she really didn’t feel like leaving.

“Good. But you’re gonna feel even better in about five minutes,” he informed her, a twinkle in his eye as he moved toward her with renewed purpose. 

Chloe turned on the bed and laid down over the pillow, kicking the covers down as she did. “Sounds promising, I guess I’ll have to see if you live up to it,” she teased.

Oliver just grinned.


	12. Chapter 12

Chloe had been far too exhausted to move the previous night. Oliver had kept his promise and had blown her mind over and over again. By the time they were done, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to walk even if she tried, so she relaxed and allowed herself to fall asleep. 

When she woke up again, she could tell the sun was already up even though the blinds were still closed. She’d been far too comfortable with Oliver’s arm wrapped protectively around her and his body pressed against her back, so she forced herself to move. 

She got up and dressed as quickly and as quietly as possible, then picked up her boots and snuck out of the room in silence. Just as she was heading to the room she should have been using, she saw the note taped to the door and recognized her cousin’s handwriting instantly. 

_’Headed out with Hal, will bring you back a surprise. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t. ;)  
Your favorite cousin.’_

Oliver yawned as he stepped into the main room of the suite, rubbing a hand over his face. “Morning,” he said.

“Oliver, I didn’t mean to wak--” she stopped talking when she turned to look at him, eyes widening when she realized he was completely naked. “What are you doing!?”

“What?” he asked innocently, flashing her a grin.

“What if they were here?” She gasped.

He shrugged. “They’re not.” 

“Did you know that?” she asked, staring at him with wide eyes still.

He smirked at the expression on her face. “Yes. I came out earlier last night while you were sleeping so I could get something to drink and I saw the note.” 

“Oh.” She relaxed and nodded. “Still, they could be getting back, so you probably should put some clothes on.”

“Probably,” he agreed even as he walked toward her. 

“Probably?” she echoed, unable to stop herself from staring at him as he came closer.

“I have better ideas.” He reached out, winding his arms around her. 

“As amazing as your ideas were last night, I don’t think we should risk it...” she muttered but lifted her hands to his shoulders.

“I think it’d be worth the risk,” he murmured, mouth dangerously close to her ear.

Chloe shivered, despite herself. “I don’t know about that.”

“Really?” He nipped lightly on her earlobe.

Another shiver and she had to take a deep breath. “Not fair.”

“You know what they say. All’s fair in love and war,” he teased, dropping a kiss to her neck.

She pulled away from him and stared up at him. “Not sure which one this is.”

“Maybe a little of both,” Oliver told her, meeting her eyes. 

She smirked up at him and took a deep breath. “I don’t think we have any condoms left...”

“There are things we can do without them. And I can go find more when Hal and Lois get back.” He pulled away to look at her better. 

“I know that, just something we should keep in mind,” she said.

Oliver nodded slightly. “Agreed.” 

Chloe glanced around then back at him. Apparently resisting him was pointless, so she shrugged. “I was going to take a shower... heard there’s hot water here.”

He smiled. “There is. And it’s pretty amazing.” 

“Wanna come?” she invited, grinning slowly. She had never showered with anyone before, but there was a lot about last night that she had never done before and Oliver had blown her mind with every single one of those things, so she felt like experimenting, especially since they had no way of knowing how much longer they would be able to survive.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he responded with a grin of his own.

* * *

“Are you ready to get back upstairs?” Chloe asked as she stuffed some more shampoo from the hotel stock into her backpack. Lois and Hal still weren’t back and she and Oliver had been starving by the time they were done with the shower, they decided to head to the bottom floor for food and supplies.

Oliver glanced at her sideways. “Yeah.” He glanced warily toward the lobby doors, where a huge horde of zombies was waiting just outside.

Chloe glanced toward them, too then shrugged. “The glass must be bulletproof. I think we’ll be okay.”

“Hopefully,” he muttered. “I’m not sure that a bullet compares to a thousand angry zombies.” 

“Lucky for us, they aren’t a thousand angry zombies with guns?” she teased, adjusting her crossbow once she had the backpack over her shoulders.

“Lucky for us,” Oliver agreed. 

“Come on,” Chloe said, starting toward the stairs they would have to climb to get back to the presidential suite Hal had chosen. 

He followed her, glancing over his shoulder once more at the zombies that were trying very hard to get inside the building. He hoped the doors held. 

Chloe was just about to reach the stairs when she saw another door with the hospital cross symbol on it. “Wait,” she called, glancing at Oliver. “Let me get everything from here, too. Watch the door.”

Nodding, he moved to stand just outside the door, raising his crossbow as she headed into the room.

She stepped into the room, squinting since there were no windows and started feeling her her way around it, jumping a moment later when the door slammed shut. She sighed and shook her head, finding a cabinet and opening it, feeling around carefully and pulling all the boxes she could find into her backpack.

Growling sounds from behind her alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. 

Chloe stilled, her eyes widening but she moved quickly, grabbing her crossbow even as she turned toward the noise. “Oliver!” She yelled even as she shot in the direction of the noise. 

“Chloe!” He yelled back, trying the handle and finding it locked. “Shit.” He stepped back and kicked it hard. 

She kept on shooting until she heard a thud, hoping she had hit him, she turned toward the door but at the feel of a warm breath against her neck, she stilled and just as she she was about to turn, she felt sharp teeth ripping at her neck. 

A second later the door burst open and Oliver fired several shots, killing three zombies before turning to see Chloe with her hand pressed against her neck, blood dripping between her fingers. His eyes widened. “No,” he whispered, feeling sick. 

“Go,” she whispered, looking up at him as she dropped her crossbow to the ground, her knees giving a moment later.

“Hell no.” He dropped his crossbow, too, moving to her and catching her before she could collapse. “Keep your eyes open.” He picked her up in his arms bridal-style, quickly heading out the door. 

“Don’t,” she said quietly, shaking her head as she shivered. “Leave me. Lois.”

“I can’t,” he said, voice strained as he tightened his arms around her. 

Her eyes teared up as she stared up at him, her lips parting just as she was about to say something, but she just sighed deeply and her eyes closed. 

Oliver’s stomach dropped as she lost consciousness and he carried her down the hallway and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

* * * 

The next time Chloe woke up, she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes opened wide as she kicked and choked on water, gasping for air as she lifted her head above the water, flinching when she hit her head. Only then she realized she was inside of some kind of glass box. She kicked and punched with everything she could. “Help!” she gasped, doing her best to keep her head above the water.

Oliver was sitting outside the room when he heard the noise and he jerked his head up. His stomach clenched as he rose slowly to his feet. _She’s turned_ , he realized, rubbing a hand over his face wearily. 

She screamed as loud as she could, punching at the glass above her head so hard, her knuckles were bleeding. But she didn’t stop.

He stepped into the room, growing still at the sight in front of him. He stared at her in confusion, eyes wide. Then he jumped into action, moving forward and climbing up on the ladder beside the water tank. He didn’t know how but _somehow_ Chloe was _alive_.

She stilled when she saw him, her eyes still wide with fear. “Help!” she yelled, her voice breaking as she looked up at him.

He shoved the top off the tank and reached his arm into the water, grasping her hand in his. “I’ve got you.” 

She clung to him, gasping for air even as he started to pull her out of the tank. She’d been buried alive once before. 

“I’ve got you,” he said again, pulling her out of the tank and right up against him. “I don’t know how you’re alive, but I’ve got you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then her cheek. 

She leaned against him, shivering from the cold and lifting a hand to her neck, feeling around in surprise when she didn’t feel any wounds.

Oliver was shaking, too, for a different reason. He held her tighter, then yelled. “Clark!” 

Clark rushed into the room a moment later, stilling when he saw the two of them. “Oliver, don’t! She’ll bite you!”

“She didn’t turn,” he explained, glancing at the other man. His eyes were still wide. He carefully turned Chloe toward Clark so he could see her face. 

Chloe hugged herself and stared over at Clark. “It’s me,” she whispered, swallowing hard. 

Clark’s eyebrows shot up comically. “But how?” He shook his head, stepping closer to them.

“I just... remember them biting me,” she said quietly, looking down at herself and staring up at Oliver with wide eyes when she realized she had only a small wrap covering her breasts and her hips.

“We thought you were dead for sure,” he admitted, lifting a hand up and cupping her cheek.

“I should be,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. 

“I’ll go tell the others,” Clark told them, rushing out of the room.

As soon as Clark was gone, Oliver dipped his head and kissed her mouth, softly but not pulling away quickly. Then he pulled away to look at her, his eyes full of pain. 

She stilled for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and turning her head into his neck.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, tightening his arms around her again. “Everything’s going to be okay now.” 

“How?” she asked, not lifting her head.

“Hal and his friends. They’re in the process of fixing things on earth.” 

Chloe paused at that, lifting her head to look at him. “On Earth? Where are we?”

He smiled faintly. “Let’s just say Hal’s an inter-planetary traveler.” 

“Oh,” she muttered. “Did they do something to me?”

“No,” he told her, holding his breath. 

“Then... how?” she breathed, shifting in his arms so he would set her down. 

He reluctantly let her go, but he didn’t move away. “Your guess is as good as mine.” 

“How long have I been out?” she asked, lifting a hand to her neck. 

“Two days,” Oliver told her, looking at her neck, amazement clear in his eyes.

“You saw it, right?” she whispered.

“The bite? Yeah, I saw it.” He grimaced.

“I don’t get it, unless...” she paused, pursing her lips together.

“Unless?” 

“I found out a while back that I was infected, the meteor rocks,” she explained, taking a deep breath as she looked up at him again. “Maybe it did something to me?”

Oliver stared at her for a moment, allowing that to sink in. “I suppose that’s possible,” he said slowly. 

She sighed softly and nodded. “Do you have something I can wear?” she asked, looking down then back up again. 

He smiled, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder lightly. “I’m sure we can find something.” 

“Thanks.” She smiled a little. “Lois, Hal and Lana, everyone okay?”

“Everyone’s fine,” he told her. “Lois’s surprise for you was that they went and got Clark and Lana and brought them to the hotel. Then of course, everything happened and...” He shrugged. “We ended up here.” 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “But, Hal and people here, do they have a vaccine?”

“They’re very close to one, yeah. Hal says any time now.” 

“So we might be able to go back?” she asked, her eyes bright.

Oliver nodded, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah.” 

“Wow,” she said quietly, taking a step forward.

“Things might just go back to normal,” he murmured, meeting her eyes.

“What are we going to do if they do?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.

He let his hand fall to rest at her waist. “I know what I’d like to do, but it sort of depends on you.” 

Chloe lifted her hands to his shoulders and cocked her head to look at him. “On me?”

“On how you feel,” he told her quietly.

She knew exactly what he meant, but she smiled and watched him for a moment. “Right now? I’m cold.”

“That’s very cute,” he responded with a mock sigh, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she shifted closer, keeping her eyes on him. “Thanks. For... you know, not listening to me.”

“Which time?” he joked.

“The time I told you to leave me?” she said quietly.

Oliver studied her, then shrugged. “Like that was ever going to happen.” 

“I might have,” she whispered.

He pulled her close. “Hopefully we’ll never have to worry about it again.” 

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I hope so.”

He kissed her forehead silently and pulled away to look at her once more. “Let’s get you some more clothes.” 

“Thanks,” she said looking up at him for a moment, then pulling him closer and kissing him deeply.

Oliver returned the kiss, sliding his hands up to cup her face. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, tiptoeing as she deepened the kiss more. She couldn’t imagine everything he had gone through, but she did remember how horrified he looked when he found her after she was bitten.

After the kiss ended, he rested his forehead against hers. “I think we could have something good,” he whispered. 

“Maybe we could,” she agreed quietly. “But, let’s take things slow, okay? There’s a lot going on...”

“I know,” he admitted, nodding. “I’m okay with slow.” 

“Good,” she told him, smiling softly and kissing him again. 

~The End~


End file.
